The Long Way Home
by That One Angry Hobbit
Summary: A scarred woman, her niece and nephew, and their group of misfits struggle to remain alive and together as they fight their way through the living nightmare their reality has become. Begins at the CDC in Season 1 then immediate deviates into AU. Standard warnings for language, violence, etc so don't complain if you end up offended by something.
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: Hobbit self betas. Expect errors. Hobbit will attempt to fix issues as they are found.

1

"You have to be fucking kidding me," the redhead groaned as she watched the inferno consume what had been the CDC building, "Three goddamn weeks to get here, just to see a fireworks display. Fuck!"

"Meadow!" a member of her rag-tag group belted from his perch atop a bright yellow pickup, "Mea, vehicles are moving on the other side of the fire! It looks like they ran from the building!"

"Which direction are they headin' Lee?" she called back while scrambling up the side of the Humvee her group had commandeered from undead cannibals a few days earlier, "Hand me those binoculars, would ya?"

Matt stretched out from the driver's side window and held up the requested piece of equipment, "Looters?"

"Dunno yet," she confessed then grunted a negative upon catching sight of the line of retreating tail lights, "Probably another group of poor bastards who had the same idea as us, so I guess we aren't the only people shit out of luck today."

"We can't stay here much longer," Lee's twin, Jett, declared as he dangled from the Osh Kosh's window, his rifle at the ready, "The fire is drawin' Z's like ants at a picnic."

Matt twisted around to peer up at the stocky woman still watching the other group, "Are we followin'?"

After a moments thought, she finally lowered the binoculars, one hand moving to absently scratch at the thick rope of scar tissue trailing from her right nostril toward her right ear as she did, then bobbed her head in affirmation, "It's better than sittin' round here with our thumbs shoved up our asses."

Upon her whistled signal, they swiftly loaded into their vehicles and were soon barreling down the darkened road.

Whilst Matt did his best to navigate the debris clogged blacktop, Meadow retrieved a pack of menthols from her pocket and lit one. Her mind was reeling with a thousand possible eventualities that could result from her decision. Would this other group be amicable to a partnership? Or would they be yet another gang of assholes hellbent on rape and theft? The thought had her twisting around to worriedly gaze at the two smaller figures dozing in the back seat.

"They're alright?" her companion murmured, his blue eyes briefly flitting over to meet her own sharp green orbs.

"Still sleepin' like rocks," she confirmed, righting herself in the seat, "Wasn't any sense, waking them up, with the CDC bein' a no go. Things are gonna be hard enough to explain come tomorrow, so I might as well let 'em sleep while they got the chance."

Matt hummed his agreement and the truck fell quiet once more, each person lost in their own contemplation's.

*line break*

A hand on her arm catapulted her back into wakefulness, which resulted in her narrowly avoiding plunging a knife into Lee's head.

"We've found a place to stop for a few hours," the younger man informed her while she pushed her frizzy mane away from her face and gathered her bearings, "Belle and Jay are already stretching their legs."

She huffed an acknowledgment and hauled herself out of the truck, only to wince as her weary body cracked and popped in protest. Ignoring the sharp spikes of pain, she fired up another cancer stick and scanned the mist-shrouded area with a critical gaze, "Where are we?"

"Best guess? A pawnshop that dabbles in camping gear for tourists and some Army surplus shit," he shrugged a weary shoulder, "Dawn caught sight of it when we slowed down to avoid that wreck across the way. She took Matt and Jett to check it out."

"I'll go give 'em a hand," she declared whilst reaching into the cab to retrieve her machete, "Keep an eye on the kids, would ya?"

He gave her an indignant look, "Of course I will. Ain't gonna let nothing happen to your niece and nephew, Mea. You know that."

"Alrighty then, be back in a bit," she grinned and dropped the blade onto her shoulder as she plodded toward the building.

*line break*

"I cannot believe this place hasn't been picked clean already," Dawn happily crowed, her pale blonde hair bleached white inside of the lanterns halo, "I would have bet money for this to have been one of the first places to have been looted by people fleeing the city."

"Well I ain't complainin' babe," Matt countered through a mouth full of food as he held out the MRE pouch to his spouse, "This shit will keep us going for a good while, as long as we're smart about it."

"We ought to have enough room, between the three trucks, to take most of this with us," Lee added between bites of his own meal, "We do that and no one will have to immediately worry about supplies if we get split up."

"Aunt Mea, I'm going to bed," a quiet voice interrupted and the redhead swiveled around to flash her niece a smile. "Okay sweetie. Are you sleepin' in the office with your brother or out here with me?"

"With Jay," the girl clarified before shuffling away, flashlight in one hand, knife in the other.

"She's talking now," Matt mused approvingly from where he was now fussing with his sleeping bag, "That's an improvement I wasn't expecting."

"She's ten and Jay's twelve," She reminded him sharply, "Having to kill anyone, let alone your parents at those ages, would traumatize even you. Don't lie and tell me it wouldn't."

He dropped the blue contraption and raised his hands in surrender, "I wasn't saying anything bad about her, I promise. I was actually just tryin' to compliment the girl and the progress she's made since she's been with us, gods honest truth."

At his words, she blew out a hard sigh and ran a bone-weary hand over her face, "I'm sorry, still a bit out of it. Maybe we ought to follow her lead and tuck in for the night. Gonna have to make an early start anyways if we're still plannin' on finding that other group. I napped in the truck, so I'll take the first watch."

Dawn lifted her head from the map she had been pouring over to volunteer for the second watch whilst Lee grouchily accepted the last. That settled, the companions moved toward their sleeping places to rack up as much shut-eye as possible before the undead could come knocking again.

*line break*

"I'll ride with Lee for a bit today," the stout woman proclaimed during their last sweep of the store for anything salvageable, "Give you and the missus some time together without a chaperone."

Matt beamed and playfully nudged her with his shoulder, "You know Mea, you're alright, no matter what Jett says about you."

"Hey!" the aforementioned man squeaked from his post beside the entrance doors, "I didn't say nothing about you Meadow, I swear!"

"Except call me a damn hobbit when I have trouble reaching something on a high shelf," she fired back with a snicker, then snatched up an errant pack of batteries peeking out from under a magazine rack, "I'd say we're good to haul ass. Don't want that other group gettin' too far out of range."

Ten minutes later, the three vehicles were eating up pavement, their occupants in lighter spirits than when they had arrived a mere twelve hours previous.

*line break*

"How in the fuck did we lose them?" Meadow growled to herself and lowered the binoculars to peer over at Jett, "Are you certain you saw them? They were the same people from Atlanta?"

"Not even an hour ago," he confirmed and gestured toward a semi-clear road winding through the area approximately a quarter mile to the east, "Saw them head that way."

"Aunt Mea, look what we found!" Jayden's excited yelp cut through the blanket of tension, "We were helping Dawn get stuff out of that house and-"

"Well I'll be damned," she gasped upon catching sight of what her niece and nephew had discovered.

Padding up to stand between the siblings were two half grown pups. Both were filthy, but their tails were doing impressive imitations of helicopter blades. She could tell one may be white under all the grime whilst the other was rusted colored with some white markings. End of the damned world and they managed to find not one, but two strays that hadn't turned feral yet.

Isabelle gazed upward, eyes full of hope and happiness and so many emotions that had been absent from the child ever since Mea had found them cowering in the attic of their parents home. "Please can we keep them? They could help keep guard and fetch stuff and carry things! We could even teach them to hunts rabbits and stuff to eat!"

"We can't just leave them here," Jayden added, his hand dropping to stroke the spine of the darker pup, "They'll die without us, or get eaten, because they are just little kids and don't understand what's happened to the world."

"Load up," their aunt commanded as she dropped from the bed of the pickup. Their sadness and anger were nearly palpable as she moved to open the drivers side door, "They had better have good names before we make camp tonight cuz I ain't callin' either of them Cupcake or some stupid shit like that."

Instantly the kids were in motion, loading the mutts into the humvee with triumphant grins wrapping around their heads.

"You are such a softie," Lee chuckled as they pulled onto the road, the others following.

"Shut up before I make you eat your teeth," she snarled in return, but there was little heat in her tone. If two stupid dogs could make those kids smile and give them a bit of normalcy in this hell, then the damn dogs were here to stay.

*line break*

The downpour of rain came with almost zero warning, sending the group scrambling for a relatively safe place to wait out the storm. Thankfully Dawn, and her uncanny ability to find safe spaces, led them to a lumber yard protected by a heavy chain link fence that had yet to be compromised by either the shambling corpses or their living prey.

As the deluge maintained its veracity into the evening, the children were kept entertained by the pups and the adults vigilantly took turns walking the fence line.

"This storm has the zeds feeling frisky," Jett commented as he came to stand beside the shorter redhead, "I wonder what's up with that."

The question was no doubt rhetorical in nature but she chose to answer it anyway, "I think they are drawn to the noise, like the times you fire a gun and it never fails to draw a shit-ton of 'em, all looking for a snack. The thunder an' shit has 'em thinking the dinner bell's ringing just for them."

"Makes sense," he agreed then moved forward to drive his knife through the eye of a zombie who had wandered too close for comfort, "Matt and Dawn found a couple of vending machines when they went off for some alone time. Snagged a few bags of chips, some warm as shit sodas, and a handful of half melted candy bars, if you're interested."

"I could definitely go for a caffeine fix right about now," she grinned, the expression growing brighter when he held up a can of her favorite fizzy drink, "You know me too well."

"Only been with you since Huntington," he smirked, opening his own can. He took a long drink before adding, "I just might have learned a thing, or two, along the way."

She shook her head, still smiling, and allowed herself to indulge just a little whilst reveling in the fact that the rain had also, albeit temporarily, banished the ever present smell of the world rotting around them.

*line break*

After checking the maps that had been carefully collected on their trek southward, they agreed the other group was most likely going to try their luck on the highway and decided to follow suit.

Meadow opted to ride with Dawn in the over-sized Osh Kosh at the front of their miniature train because the beast had the ability to push stalled vehicles out of their way. It was slow going, partially because they constantly stopped to peruse the dead vehicles for supplies, and other times because the cars were packed together so tightly they had to move them one by one after clearing them of reanimated corpses.

When the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, the mutts started making a ruckus before darting over the hill and into the woods lining the road.

"What the fuck?" Meadow called out when Matt abruptly abandoned the truck he was searching to follow them. "Matt!"

He was nearly to the tree line when the dogs trotted back into view, shepherding what appeared to be a child. Matt swiftly changed direction and intercepted them, then scooped the kid up after a few hasty words.

"She's not bit," he announced as he stepped over the guard rail, "She said she got separated from her group after they spotted a herd of zeds coming down the road. It's heading this way, so we need to vamonos right the fuck now."

"Shit," Meadow spit and turned to face the others who had gathered to see what the commotion was about, "Load up and stay quiet. There was an off ramp a few miles back, let's head for it and hope we are far enough out of range before they make it that far."

"What about the girl?" Dawn queried whilst everyone hustled to comply, "What if her group is the one we've been shadowing? Won't they be looking for her?"

"We can't worry about them, not until the herd is long gone," the redhead replied as they hauled themselves up into the cab of the massive truck, "Can't do shit if we-or they-are dead, so let's get this monster moving before we all end up chow."

Luckily, they managed to get the trucks turned around and retraced their path to the off ramp which almost instantly gave way to a chip and tar road, then a gravel path that slithered through the lush, greenery. Fifteen minutes of meandering later, the foilage unexpectedly gave way to a stretch of overgrown farmland ringed with sturdy fencing. In the distance stood a postcard worthy barn painted a pale blue and a cream colored farmhouse straight from a magazine. Meadow instructed Dawn to halt at the gate barring the property's driveway, then waved for Lee to assist in wrangling it open.

"We're losing daylight fast and this place looks as good as anywhere to wait out the zeds," she explained once they parked the trucks, "Matt and Lee will get the barn. Jett and I will take the house. Dawn, stick with the kids and keep an eye out for that girl's group. If they happen upon us, we don't want any misunderstandin's to go on."

Assignments given, they secured the gate then moved on to clearing the immediate area of any lingering undead.

The farmhouse held only a single dead cannibal and the barn housed five, but they were all safely ensconced within their new shelter by the time the last of the light left them.

*line break*

Meadow stood before the large bay window, surveying the land through the wooden slats the previous inhabitants had nailed into place. Her companions shuffled through the rest of the structure, either on guard or taking advantage of the running water which appeared to be fed from a well.

Jay, Belle, and the new kid-Sophia-were freshly bathed and currently clad in some clothing rummaged from the upstairs bedrooms. Lee hummed as he kept an eye on them and cooked dinner on the still functioning gas stove. The mutts, now officially named Pan and Puck, lazed about under the dining table after their own baths.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Matt softly probed, rousing her from her thoughts. After a quick glance at the children, who were caught up in a board game, she nodded toward the door. He trailed after, a slight shiver coursing through him as they stepped into the cool night air.

She leaned against the porch rail and lit a cigarette before looking at him, "Do you think her group survived that herd?"

"They sound like a fairly resilient bunch, if she is to be believed," he answered with a shrug and mimed her pose, "One thing about this particular situation sucks. Knowing we will be leaving all this behind in the morning, if the road is clear. We could make something out of this place, especially if we found her group and they aren't a bunch of asshats."

As if on cue, the road lit up and several cars barreled passed them. They were struck silent until after their lights had faded, then Matt spoke, "Do you think we should try to go after them?"

She shook her head, "A sign we passed said this is a dead end road. They'll have to go by us again to reach the main road or the highway, so we can flag 'em down then. If they don't show tonight, we can go huntin' for 'em in the morning."

He nodded in agreement, then let the subject matter go as Lee called everyone to dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Meadow dashed into the road just as a rusty blue truck approached, her hands held high. Momentarily she worried they might simply plow through her, but the pick up eventually slowed to a stop a few feet from where she stood.

"Um hiya," she awkwardly attempted a friendly expression whilst a dark skinned man and a gawky kid warily exited their vehicle, "I know this is going to sound completely fucking bonkers, but do either of you know Sophia?"

"T-Dog! Glen!" Sophia trumpeted from the yard, running their direction as quickly as her little legs could carry her, "Don't hurt them! They saved me when I got lost in the woods! They have kids! And dogs too!"

"Munckin!" T-Dog-she assumed-cried out and hunched over to wind his unbandaged arm around the squealing girl, "You're a hell of a sight for sore eyes baby girl!"

"You too," she smiled brightly and hugged herself to him once more before sobering, "Is my mom okay?"

"Worried as hell about you, but otherwise she's good," the man assured her as he straightened to his full height, "We were going back out to look for you today. Couple of us even spent the night close to where you took off, in case you found your way back."

"I was trying to come back, but there were too many of those things to get around," she softly elaborated, her head bowing, "Is Rick mad at me?"

"Naw kid, just scared, like the rest of us," he revealed to her then turned to look at Meadow and the others who had gathered to watch the reunion, "I really don't know what to say besides thank you. And I don't mean to be rude, but we got people to collect and some serious shit going on right now. Is this where you're going to be staying for now? So I know where to tell her mom to go if she wants to thank you herself."

"It will be, for the next few days at least," Meadow confirmed, ignoring the strange look she was receiving from the geeky kid, "Might be longer if we can work things out. Your people are more than welcome to come bunk with us, if whatever you've got goin' on presently doesn't work out for ya."

"I don't know what's going on at the moment, but I'll pass it on to the guys in charge," T-Dog reached out to shake her hand, "Thanks again-"

"Meadow," she responded to his unspoken question then ruffled Sophia's hair, "Take care of yourself kiddo. Maybe you and my brats will get a chance to play some more before everybody moves on."

"Maybe," the girl agreed then padded after the two men, still waving as they started the truck and pulled onto the road again.

Once the vehicle was out of sight, Jett leaned her way, "Think they'll go for it?"

"We'll find out soon enough," she blew out a heavy sigh, and began making her way back to the house, "It's out of our hands now so I'm not going to waste valuable time frettin' about it. We got our own problems to sort, like checking this place inside and out to determine if it's really worth stayin' rather than moving on to greener pastures."

"Shouldn't we at least try to go meet with them?" Lee prodded as he loped after her, "Show them we have only good intentions and all that hoopla?"

"The proverbial olive branch had been extended. It's now up to them whether they accept it or not, because my first priority will always be this group," she reposted as she caught her hair up in a haphazard bun, "If you'd asked me that question yesterday, while we was pretty much wanderin' aimlessly, my answer may have been different. But this place...if we can get it secured and stocked properly...we could make somethin' of a life here, like Matt said. After all, isn't that what we've all been dreamin' about ever since the world went to hell in a hand basket?"

"Yeah, it is," he conceded, dark eyes drifting across the property, "This is the best place we've come across since this shit storm started, if I'm being honest."

"Well then, find your idiot brother and go make sure those fences are all intact," she gave him a playful shrug to send him on his way, then whistled for her wayward niece and nephew, "Come on you two, we gotta house to clean!"

***line break***

Several hours ticked by as they secured the grounds, cleaned up the house, and took thorough stock of the supplies they had accumulated. In a stroke of luck, Matt had discovered an entire room in the cellar stuffed full of canned goods while Dawn happened upon a modest but functional smokehouse hidden behind the barn.

"Mea and I ought to go hunting so we can start smoking meat as soon as possible," the blonde proposed as the inventory check wound to a close, "We still have those bows-with arrows-that we picked up at the pawn shop, and I know we are the only two any good with them. Besides, while we're out, we can clear out any stray zeds shambling around in the woods."

"You should take the dogs-" Jett started but Meadow cut him off, "One of the dogs stays with the kids at all times. They've proven to be good guards and better alarms. We can switch 'em out to give each some time out of the fences."

"Could you teach me how to use a bow?" Isabelle chimed in from her spot on the floor beside a dozing Puck, "That would be so cool."

Her aunt bobbed her head, "You're gonna learn how to shoot a gun as well. Jay too. World is too dangerous now to not know how to defend yourselves, especially if we ever get split up, like Sophia and her group. Goin' to start with the bow first, since it's not as likely to draw zeds when you fire it."

They fall silent as the dogs rise up in tandem, their ears swiveling around alertly. Then Pan rumbled a low woof as a red Suburban rolled down the farm's entrance.

The adults stood in unison, forming a solid wall between the newcomers and the children, and were ready to fight until a familiar voice trilled out, "Jay! Belle! Come meet my mom!"

The stout woman couldn't help but smile at the scene that unfolded before her. Three exuberant children and two bouncing mutts colliding amidst the knee high grass. On the far side of the giggling heap, a woman with short silvery hair walked alongside T-Dog and another lean, dark haired man.

Meadow carefully rounded the children and extended a hand to each of the new arrivals, "Welcome to our humble abode. I'm Meadow."

"You're the people who saved my little girl?" the other woman asked, her mouth quivering with barely contained emotions. Meadow nodded, then immediately had her arms full of crying female, "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost her! She's all I have left! Thank you!"

Meadow didn't know what to do and settled on giving the sobbing mother an awkward pat on the back, "It's alright sweetie. Your girl is back with you now and that's what really matters, right?"

"Yes," the woman murmured before sheepishly retreating to the vicinity of her male comrades, "I'm Carol, by the way. You've already met Theodore, and this is Rick, one of our leaders."

"Ma'am," Rick shook her hand a second time as he was introduced to everyone in the group. When that was concluded, he faced the redhead once more, "T-Dog mentioned that your group might be willing to band together, if I'm not mistaken? Does this mean you are plannin' on making this a permanent residence?"

"Winter isn't as far away as this damned heat would have us believe," she replied honestly while ignoring the questioning gaze aimed directly at her scar, "We've got two kids we have to take into consideration and this farm has proven to have a lot of the qualities we were lookin' for in a winter vacation home."

"Why would you offer to join up with us? If you don't mind me asking," he posed the next question the moment she finished answering his first.

"You have kids too. And Sophia really heaped the praise on you, made you sound like good people," Meadow paused to light a smoke, then tucked the pack away when the man refused her offer to share, "What it boils down to is this: More eyes mean our shit is safer. More hands mean more supplies getting scrounged. More voices mean you don't want to kill someone as quickly after the four hundredth time you have to hear the story of them bein' stuck on a ferris wheel for ten hours. But here is what is most important: More brains mean a bigger set of skills the group has at its disposal when shit needs done right fucking now."

Rick gave a thoughtful nod at her little speech, then let out a quiet chuckle, "Well you certainly have a colorful way of explainin' things, but I can't disagree with anything you just said. Now I can't give you a definitive yes or no answer yet, because I have to talk to my people, then Hershel. I have to wait for him to give the green light for my boy to get up and about."

"Considering that man has done nothing, since saving Carl, but remind us not to get comfortable on his land," Carol snorted bitterly, "This might be our only option in the very near future, no matter what the group wants to believe."

"You think I don't know that?" Rick huffed, then loudly sighed as he swiveled back to face the redhead, "Does this offer of yours have an expiration date?"

"It's open up until we have to move on," she assured the harried man, "But I think you'd also be welcome to come with us at that time. No matter what, take your time and discuss it with your people. While you're at it, tell them some of our people are planning to raid a few places in town and a few are welcome to join us just to make sure we'll all get along, especially under pressure. I think you know enough to realize if we can't handle shit together out there, then we'll never work."

"It's not a bad idea," he confessed, scratching a cut on his chin while he pondered her offer, "What do you say if I bring some of mine over in the morning so we can plan this together? There's no sense in hitting the same place twice if we can help it. Right?"

"Right," she concurred then tossed a glance over her shoulder to where the children were playing, "You're more than welcome to stay for dinner, let them visit a while longer."

Rick opted out, citing a need to check on his wife and son. T-Dog offered to ferry him back to the other farm, then return for Carol and Sophia...and dinner.

That decided, Dawn swooped in to claim Carol's attention, eager to have a chance to chat with another female fluent in girl speak. Meadow took the dismissal in stride and made her way over to help Matt with the cooking whilst Lee and Jett built a fire in the back yard in order to give everyone the rare luxury of a hot bath that night.

***line break***

"This is Glen, Maggie, and Andrea," Rick gestured to each person after Meadow's companions had made their own introductions, "They have volunteered to make this run with your people. Maggie also happens to be a local, so her knowledge will be invaluable when we're making plans."

"Jackpot," Jett exchanged an impish grin with his twin before gesturing between himself and Lee, "We're going out this time too. It will be nice to have a tour guide for once."

"Please ignore Beavis and Butthead," Meadow snorted at their antics, "They are still at the age where they automatically turn into blithering idiots in the vicinity of anything with boobs and a pretty face. They get too annoying, just smack 'em upside the head and it'll reset the stupid meter to zero."

The sour faced blonde-Andrea, she believed- scoffed at the declaration, "They do something too stupid and they will get more than a slap on the head, I promise you that."

"We would never do anything indecent to a lady," Lee countered truthfully, then smirked and waggled his eyebrows, "At least never without permission, beautiful."

Dawn's hand shot out and casually cuffed each brother with a viper fast strike, "Focus jackasses. Work now, play grab ass later."

Once they all settled in and Maggie began sharing all the relevant information she could recall, Meadow drifted outside to check on her niece and nephew who, along with a bouncing Sophia, were attempting to teach Pan how to properly fetch under the supervision of a smiling Carol.

"I know I should have stayed back at camp to catch up on the laundry," the silver haired woman said in lieu of a greeting when she noticed the stout woman observing, "But I couldn't say no when she asked to come over to play again. She hasn't had anything to smile and be joyful about in what feels like forever. Even before this, our life wasn't what you would consider ideal. My husband, Ed, he wasn't an easy person to live with."

Absently Meadow's hand lifted to stroke her scar, "I understand. I'm sorry."

"Husband?" the other woman inquired, eyes not deviating from the children.

"Father," she confessed softly, "He was a paranoid schizophrenic with a nasty temper and a drinking problem. He went off his prescribed meds after my mom ran off with a co-worker and my brother moved away for college. He thought he would be better off self medicating."

"I can only imagine. Did he-?" Carol left the question open ended, but there was no doubt as to what she was eluding to.

"Rape me? No. He simply snapped one day. Threw me through a glass door then proceeded to chase me with a chainsaw, like some fucking psycho from an 80's horror flick," Meadow took a long drag from her smoke before she continued, "I kicked out his knees while he was attempin' to chop me up and he fell on the damn thing. A couple lawyers tried to charge me with murder, but it ended up bein' labeled a clear case of self defense. Didn't stop me from being locked in the nut ward in prison, with some stupid fucks givin' me half assed treatment to quote "assist me in overcoming the severe trauma I had endured". None of the shit worked and I checked myself out the minute I found out all the charges had been dismissed.

After that, my brother Mason tried his damnedest to get me to come live with him, but I couldn't bring myself to impose on the life he had managed to build for himself. Started visiting though, after the munchkins were born. Last time was two summers ago. Almost talked myself into not goin' back up north, but some shit happened and I just couldn't do it."

"What happened?" Carol probed, completely engrossed in the tale now.

"What else? I met a guy who was willin' to give me the time of day," she gave a nonchalant shrug in spite of the stab of pain that lanced her insides, "He was so rough around the edges, but he understood having a shitty upbringing and the struggle people go through to distance themselves from the bad shit. He's the one who told me to be proud of my scars because they were proof of my strength, badges of honor, instead of evidence of my weakness. Then, in the third summer of our relationship, some buddy of his popped up out of nowhere and he started acting really fucking weird. Disappearing at all hours, missing times we were supposed to meet up, then acted all sorts of shifty when he did bother to show. So my dumbass tried to get to the root of his issue by borrowing my brother's car and drivin' over to his place one night to talk this shit out.

When I got there, the fucking music was playin' so loud you could hear it a football field away. Something bad was goin' down, I could feel it in my bones, but I made myself walk up and bang on his door. Imagine my surprise when, after ten minutes of beatin' his door to hell and back, some drunk chick opened it up. I asked where he was, she giggled like the bimbo she was, then told me he was super busy before she was yanked out of the way by this other guy-his buddy-who asked me what I wanted. I asked for my guy again and he turned around and yelled that some bitch with a mangled face was beggin' to be fucked next.

My guy staggered into view, shirt off and trying to button his pants while some whore was hangin' off of him. I couldn't say a word at that point. Just turned around, got in the car, and left. Called my brother from the airport and told him where he could find his car. Hadn't been back until people started eatin' each other."

"You still love him," It was not a question.

"Hate him too," she added, not even making an attempt to deny the statement, "Is it wrong that part of me wonders what kind of bullshit explanation he would have given me that night?"

"No, I think it's perfectly natural to be curious," Carol hastily responded, "Sometimes I wish I could ask Ed why he had done all those awful things to us. How would he justify terrorizing his own wife and child? Then I remind myself that it is probably better if I didn't know because I have no idea how I would deal with whatever answers he gave me."

"I did look for him, briefly, after finding Belle and Jay, but where he had lived didn't even exist anymore. The land and stuff had all been bought up by a company that specialized in condos," Meadow reached for another menthol but found the pack empty so she crushed the box and stuffed it back into her pocket, "Maybe it is better this way, leavin' the past in the past and all that horseshit."

Carol bobbed her head in silent agreement, then offered to continue watching the children when the stout woman abruptly announced she was going to check the perimeter.

***line break***

(flashback)

"You're it for me Mea," he murmured into her unruly mane as they lay wound together in the bed of his truck, "You know that, right?"

"You're it for me too," she confessed, snuggling deeper into his embrace, uncaring that they both reeked of sweat and sex.

Without warning, he raised his left hand and tugged off the bandage that had been covering the appendage for the last week. On his ring finger, etched in black ink, was a stylized M framed by an infinity loop.

"Babe it's beautiful," tears began to blur her vision as she traced the tattoo with a finger. Then the implications of such a grand gesture hit home and her heart took off at a wild pace. It took all of her courage to ask, "Are you proposing? To me?"

"Naw, I'm tellin' ya how it's gonna be," he flashed her a cocky smirk before his true, shy smile took over his features, "Are you sayin' yes?"

Rather than give him a direct answer, she covered his hand with her own, "So when do I get mine?"

(flashback end)

She stroked the black inkwork on her left ring finger with a thumb whilst she trudged along the fence line and willed the ghosts assailing her to go the fuck away. This was why she loathed talking to people about the past, it never failed to dredge up the worst memories. Crazy father stalking her through the house, flaky mother abandoning them, the assault she suffered while in prison, her now dead brother and his wife with their heads bashed in, and the all too intimate flashes of _him_.

The tell tale rumble of an approaching vehicle snatched her out of her spiraling musings and sent her racing toward the porch so she could gain a better view of who was arriving.

She knew, at first glance, the person had to be one of Rick's people. The motorcycle had become a common sight over the last few days, streaking back and forth with a single rider.

As the newcomer drew closer, her insides began to tighten. Something was going to happen. By the time the machine rolled to a halt and the rider dismounted, her head and heart were pounding out an agonizing rhythm.

She didn't dare move a muscle as they ascended the stairwell and moved to stand less than two feet from where she was glued. Her hands clenched to hide the tremors that had overcome her limbs.

Blue eyes captured green.

"Mea?"

The whisper broke something in the redhead.

"Well, if it isn't Daryl fucking Dixon," she heard herself snarl before a fist, hers, connected with his jaw and sent him tumbling back down the stairs to fall prone in the tall grass.

"Daryl?!" Carol keened and rushed to help her friend while Andrea took the opportunity to charge the stout woman, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Get the fuck away from her!" Daryl bellowed, staggering to his feet just as Rick wedged himself between the two women still on the porch, "Don't you lay a hand on her Blondie. I'm fucking warnin' ya!"

"Shit, she hit you!" the enraged woman shrieked, obviously spoiling for a fight no matter the man's words, "I ought to put a fucking bullet in your head right now!"

"Don't you put a hand on my fucking wife you stupid bitch!" the hunter roared, shocking everyone into a stunned silence.

Several long moments crawled by before Daryl firmly shrugged off Carol's frantic hold on his arm, then purposefully walked up the steps for a second time. Rick proceeded to wrangle the irate Andrea back into the house whilst his friend made the slow journey toward the quivering redhead. Sensing something momentous on the horizon, the rest of the observers fled when the hunters legs failed and he crashed to his knees.

"You're still it for me," he vowed, taking her hands into a tender grasp as the words started coming faster, "I never strayed from you, no matter how much Merle pushed. Mea, that night, fuck, I was hidin' in my room. I was tryin' to wait out my brother and his whores, hopin' that they'd either leave or pass out. I was gonna beg you to take me with you when you went back up north cuz I couldn't handle his shit anymore, not if it meant havin' to live without you. That dumb bitch you saw grabbin' at me? He paid her a hundred bucks to fuck with me. The bitch wouldn't leave me alone all night. I tried to leave, once, but Merle caught me and pinned my arms while she grabbed at my junk. Kicked her in the fuckin' stomach while Merle just laughed his ass off. Hit me as many times as you'd like, I more than deserve it, just tell me you believe me."

"You called me your wife," was the only response her mouth would formulate in spite of her racing thoughts, "In public. In front of people."

His shy, real smile made an appearance as he tilted his head back to gaze up at her. Her heart clenched upon seeing a lone tear laying a shimmering path down one tanned cheek. "Why wouldn't I call you my wife? That is what you are. I've never stopped considerin' you my wife, Mea. Not back then, not when the world went to shit, and not now."

"But Daryl, it's been fucking years," she feebly argued, still fighting to process his version of that night's events, "How can you even-"

"Uncle Jesse tried to help me find you, when he could manage," he cut her off gently and pressed her hand to his face, "I drove north I don't know how many times, every time I had stashed enough cash to go up for a weekend. Spent so long tryin' to find you so I could tell you what Merle pulled. Even convinced your brother to give me your address once, but you'd moved by the time I made it up there."

"I had to move a couple times over the last few years, my rent kept going up because of pipeline workers and shit," she explained automatically, "Sometimes spent a week or two livin' out of my car till I could find a place I could afford. Ended up buying a shitty RV with my tax return and was moving it between RV parks when the apocalypse started."

"Wish I had been there to help you," he declared softly and closed his eyes as more tears began falling, "I fucked up so bad Mea. I should've never let Merle and his bullshit get between us. It's cuz of me this shit happened. It's my fault you had do go through all this fucked up shit on your own with no one to have your back. I just, I-fuck! I'm sorry!"

In that instant she knew every word he had uttered was the truth.

"You're still it for me too," was all she could say.


	3. Chapter 3

3

It took two weeks for the two groups to relax enough to freely mingle, aided in part by the horses Meadow and her group had reclaimed then subsequently offered to share in order to save gas when they traveled from the other farmstead. Two more weeks it took for Carl to finally meet Meadow's people. The children were more than happy to bring him into the fold, especially Sophia, who had spent weeks raving to the boy about her new friends.

Daryl made an exhaustive effort to split his time between the two camps, the desire to pull his weight with the group who helped him get this far at war with the need to reconnect with his wife and mend their damaged bond.

Andrea learned a harsh lesson during this time, and the lesson was a simple one. Do not speak ill of the scarred redhead within hearing distance of a member of her group. The ensuing retaliation for such vitriol depended on the amount of hate and poison used. At the very bottom of the scale was a tongue lashing that was accompanied by a warning to be more respectful. At the far opposite end was a very public beat down which ended up including a pair of matching black eyes, a fractured nose, and two broken fingers. Unfortunately, she changed tactics and began shadowing Shane everywhere he traveled.

Shane Walsh. The other bully who forced their hand with his bullshit and had to be taught a lesson the hard way.

(flashback)

The majority of Rick's group had accepted the invitation to dinner, the exceptions being Hershel, Patricia, Andrea, and Jimmy. The young beau of Beth's had offered to stay behind and keep watch with the angry blonde.

They had collectively wrangled logs to serve as benches so everyone was able to sit in relative comfort around the fire pit as they dined and conversed with one another.

Meadow had ventured over to a small spring fed pond where the drinks were being kept cool inside of submerged clothes baskets. As she leaned forward to retrieve a few more sodas, a large hand swatted her ass hard. Knife was instantly in hand and she whirled around to find Shane grinning at her.

"Why don't you grab me another beer from there sweetheart?" he rumbled in what he probably believed to be a suggestive tone.

"First off, I ain't your fucking sweetheart. Second, keep your fucking hands off of me if you want to keep them attached to your body. Third, we only had enough for each adult to have one beer, that was explained when they were handed out, so move the fuck on," she remained in her defensive position even as she nodded toward the others, "Besides, if your new girlfriend gets wind of you tryin' to chat me up while she's stuck on guard duty, she might get a wee bit upset with you. What would you do then, without your little follower?"

He stepped forward, undeterred by her words, and put his hands on his hips, "Well talkin' ain't exactly what I had in mind. With that fucked up face, I bet you're begging to get laid, even if it's just a pity fuck."

Behind the man, Daryl silently materialized from the gloom and pressed his knife against the former lawman's throat, "My wife ain't interested in your puny lil dick officer. If you wanna piece of ass that don't belong to you, go ask Rick if you can borrow Lori again. Now Imma tell you somethin' this once, outta respect for Rick, so you'd better fuckin' listen. Stay. The Fuck. Away. From. My. Wife. And. My. Family. Or else I'll drag you into that barn over there, carve your ass into bite size bits, then feed ya to the rest of the pigs we got livin' here. You understand? Tell me you fuckin' understand what I just said."

Shane hesitated and earned himself two sharp jabs to his left kidney before the hunter repeated the question. Finally a muttered affirmation was given and he was shoved off to find his own way back to his tent as Daryl pulled his wife into his arms, "You alright Mea? He didn't hurt ya, did he?"

She couldn't stop herself from sagging into his protective embrace or burying her face in the curve of his taut neck, "You showed before I had to put him on his ass. Mostly just flapped his gums."

"Good," her spouse huffed into her hair, "Dumb bastard needs to learn to keep his hands off another man's woman real fucking fast, else he's gonna find a walker wanting to snuggle with him one night."

"My hero," she smirked into his skin, then let out a content sigh as his lips danced along her hairline.

(flashback end)

Meadow's lips were still curled upward as the truck came to a stop. Daryl glanced her way as he set the brake, "What's got you grinnin' like a fox who just found a hen house?"

"Night of the bonfire," she replied then hauled herself out of the cab to greet the exceptionally bouncy Sophia and Carl, "Morning kiddos. Are you ready to get your hands on those bows?"

"Yes!" they chirped in unison, earning an indulgent grin from Carol who stood at their backs.

"You should be putting bibles in the hands of those children, not weapons," Hershel Greene scowled at them from his porch.

"Well, the day they can kill a zed to save their life or a rabbit to fill their starving bellies with a book, I'll do just that," Meadow reposted with only a token effort to disguise her annoyance, "Until that time though, I will continue to teach them how to defend, protect, and sustain themselves with anything and everything I have knowledge of. You can do your thing and pray for it all. We'll get back together in...let's say a month, and compare notes. Sound alright to you?"

"You will not speak to me like that on my own land," the older man protested, his chest puffing out in defiance.

"News flash for you, old man. The deed to your property has been declared null and void on account of the fucking apocalypse," she fired back without missing a beat, "All that's left is land that is zombie infested and land that is not currently zombie infested. No such thing as long term ownership nowadays, especially if you can't carry it on your back while running for your fuckin' life."

"I'll pray for your soul, you wicked woman," he muttered in an attempt to reclaim the moral high ground.

"Don't bother. I tried all that shit as my daddy did his best to carve me up with a chainsaw," she spit and traced her scar with a finger, "The only fucking thing that showed up to save me was me. Pray for your dinner instead, maybe your god will deliver a pizza before the zeds eat your ass."

"Daryl!" Hershel boomed as the quartet began climbing into the truck, "That blasphemer is not welcome here! I will not tolerate her presence on my land from here on out!"

"Fine. But if my wife ain't welcome, then I ain't welcome," the hunter gruffly retorted and hit the gas.

"You didn't have to do that for me," she quietly said after the pretentious bigot no longer showed in the rear view mirror, "He ain't the first asshole who thought he was better than me and sure as hell won't be the last I'll have to deal with."

"Look, I know you can handle yourself just fine Mea," his hand left the gear shift to take her own, "But as long as I'm around to back you up, you ain't gotta deal with them on your own."

"Awww," Sophia crooned through the open window behind them.

"Shut it or else I'm using your scrawny ass as walker bait next time I go huntin'," Daryl threatened even as he fought to keep a grin off his face.

***line break***

"Good job guys," Dawn praised the gaggle of kids as they gathered their arrows, "By this time next week, you might be ready to venture out with me, Daryl, or Mea when we go hunting. Keep practicing everyday though, if you want to continue improving."

"Hershel won't allow anyone to carry weapons on his farm," Carl reminded her as he secured his arrows in the makeshift quiver tied to his belt.

"Then we'll just have to make sure you practice whenever you come over to visit," Meadow mussed his hair affectionately, then grinned as his cheeks flushed pink and he rushed to repair the damage she had caused, "Besides, how will we ever tire out the damn dogs if the four of you don't work with them daily?"

At her words, the kids recognized the dismissal for what it was and tore off after the canines who were already yipping and hopping with unabashed joy.

After she was certain their supervision had transferred to Carol, she turned to seek out Lee and Jett but was intercepted by Matt, "We have a slight issue bubbling within your hubby's group."

"Good issue or bad issue?" she queried while fishing out a smoke and lighting it.

"Lori's gone and got herself knocked up, then bullied Glen into fetching some pills while they were out shopping today," he paused until she looked his way, "They were morning after pills Mea."

"Those pills don't work after conception. She might have been hoping to induce a miscarriage," she shook her head in exasperation a moment, "Does Rick know any of this yet?"

"Probably, but only because, from what I understand, Maggie made one helluva scene when they got back at threw the pills at Lori. The twins got their asses outta there when the yelling commenced. Can't say that I blame them for not wanting to get dragged into the middle of that," Matt blew out a weary sigh and jammed his hands into his pockets, "What are we gonna do about it?"

"Not a goddamn thing. It's not our business until Lori or Rick makes it so," the redhead decided, her green gaze tracking the laughing children, "I admit I can understand why she would want to avoid poppin' out a kid these days. It's not like she can pack up and go to a hospital if something went wrong. Not to mention babies aren't known to be quiet either. They'd ultimately be a miniature dinner bell callin' the zeds to dinner every time they cried."

Matt snorted, "That's cold Mea. Real fuckin' cold."

"And yet no less true," she countered, dropping her cigarette and stomping on it, "Still, it's none of our business presently, so I'm gonna head over and see what goodies were brought back. Coming?"

"Right behind you," he acknowledged and fell into step beside the stout woman.

*line break*

"You really don't have an opinion on this either, do you?" Meadow probed after passing her husband another freshly laundered shirt to hang on the line.

"Not really," Daryl shrugged a shoulder after securing the fabric with a clothespin, "Like you said, it ain't our business. Do you need more clean water?"

She glanced into each tub and carefully scrutinized their contents before resuming her task, "Soon. Speaking of soon, I'm going to have to go on a shopping trip sometime in the near future. Me and the kids are startin' to run low on a few things and Rick's group don't pay attention to my lists as often as I like."

"We can head out tomorrow, if you want," he offered while accepting yet another dripping article of clothing to pin up, "Been a long time since we ain't had someone's head crammed up our asses whenever we stop too fast."

"I've noticed that myself," she agreed thoughtfully, then swiveled around on her bucket seat to look at her spouse, "Is it my imagination, or is your merry band of misfits migrating here?"

"Hershel's been leaning hard on Rick to get us moved off the farm," he gruffly confessed, chewing at a thumbnail, "I guess some shit's been goin' down and the old man's rules are startin' to rub people the wrong way. Why you askin"? Regretting invitin' everyone to plant their asses in your front yard?"

She shook her head and rinsed a pair of sleep pants before replying, "As long as each person contributes an' don't conduct themselves like complete morons, I won't complain too awful much. Although I might put a bullet in Andrea's ass if she's stupid enough to run her mouth again. And Shane can fuckin' rot cuz he's never gonna be welcome here. Fuckin' asshat, actin' like every person with tits ought to drop to their knees and suck his cock when he enters the room."

Daryl hummed his agreement as he moved to hang yet another garment, then changed the subject before either had a chance to get angry again, "So what all are we gonna be lookin' for out there? Besides clothes?"

Following his lead, Meadow began ticking off her mental list while they battled the seemingly endless pile of laundry together.

*line break*

"Deodorant, razors, antibiotic ointment, bandages," Meadow repeated the words over and over, her eyes glued to a sheet of paper she had been presented with only minutes before leaving the relative safety of the farm, "Toothbrushes, more toothpaste. Make-up? Fuck make-up. Ain't risking my ass for no stupid fuckin' make-up."

"How many times are you goin' to read that thing?" the hunter groused, still scowling at everything that moved as he maneuvered the truck along the fog choked road.

"As many times it takes to memorize it," she fired back before taking a drag from her cigarette and passing it over to him, "I don't want to get jumped by a walker while trying to decipher what somethin' is on their stupid list, so I'm committing it to memory, just like I do with my own."

"You got a whetstone on there?" he inquired rather than argue further, "Some blades are gettin' real fuckin' dull and Hershel's bein' stingy with his shit. Again. Mine's damn near spent trying to keep everyone's sharp so we're gonna have to find more on our own."

"Was there any in the barn?" she hadn't been present to conduct the initial inventory of that particular building, so she was at a loss.

"Couldn't find any. People probably had their shit done professionally," he replied, slowing the vehicle to a near crawl in order to avoid the four car pile up in the middle of the pavement, "Think we should check for gas?"

"On the way back, I've got fuel cans on my list," she inspected the interior of each machine as they rolled by, "Can't see any zeds from this angle, but you know how much that means."

He bobbed his head, but stayed silent as he urged the truck back up to speed.

Twenty minutes later they found a safe place to stash the pickup that still allowed them to intermittently offload their findings instead of lugging every single item along with them.

Each of them donned a headset, which fed into a walkie talkie on their belts, then quietly entered their first destination together.

Machete gripped in one hand and a hunting knife in the other, Meadow kept an eye focused behind them while her husband took the lead, meticulously sweeping each aisle for trouble before moving on to the next. On their backs, each carried two empty duffel bags.

Luck was with them, the main area of the store only contained five shambling corpses, so the couple wasted no time gathering as many supplies as they could get their hands on. Once they could find no more objects from their list, they moved to the stock room in the back and promptly encountered half a dozen more undead, all bearing vests with the establishments name on them. Once zombie free, they risked lighting a few large candles to illuminate places they were still concerned about.

"Holy shit," Meadow gasped as the flickering light reflected off of shelf after shelf of unspoiled goods, "I think we just won the post apocalypse lottery babe."

"We're gonna need a bigger truck darlin'," her husband answered with a grin while turning a slow circle to view the bounty they had stumbled upon, "Those pigs feet up there are mine, make sure you grab 'em. I'm gonna go find out if I can get that box truck we saw up and runnin'."

They exchanged a swift kiss, then the redhead hustled to snag a wooden skid and a pallet jack before she lit a cigarette and got to work.

*line break*

"How in the world did you manage to find all this stuff?" Maggie nearly sobbed upon the vision of two trucks stuffed to the brim, "I must have searched that store four or five times and never found anything like this."

"Did you ever venture into the back room?" Meadow smirked, her green gaze settling on the younger woman.

"Too dark to see anythin'," Maggie confessed, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment, "Didn't want to risk gettin' overwhelmed by walkers."

"Gonna have to make a second trip to get the rest of it," Daryl interrupted, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips, "Mea still hasn't found all the shit from her list, so we'd have to go back out either way."

"I honestly didn't think anyone would mind waitin' a bit longer for their stuff, on account of finding almost enough food to make it through the winter without addin' too many more notches to our belts," his wife chuckled, earning nods from those within hearing range "But he is right. We only searched one place today and there is still a ton of stuff we need to stockpile before the cold moves in."

*line break*

"You know, we could use some of this to barter with Hershel," Matt suggested while drowsily caressing his full stomach, "He has things the kids could really benefit from. Eggs, fresh milk. Butter."

"Might be a hard sell, considering where it's comin' from," Meadow countered from Daryl's side, her head resting on his shoulder, "He still thinks I'm the devil incarnate because I want the kids to be able to protect themselves."

"I'll talk to him about it tomorrow," Rick promised from across the fire, his arms holding a dozing Carl close to his chest, "I might be able to work something out that both sides can live with."

"Be careful. He isn't very happy that Maggie has been spending so much time with us, or Beth begging on a daily basis to come visit," Carol warned, Sophia's head on her leg, "As much as he says he wants us gone, he gets awfully cranky when he hears we're coming over."

"Maybe we should just pack up and move everything here," T-Dog groused, his irritation clearly on the rise, "Let anybody who wants to stay there make their own arrangements with Hershel. That way we aren't constantly inviting trouble, running back and forth."

"Shane, Andrea, Dale, and Glen will all want to stay, if Hershel will have them," Rick stated wearily, "And I'm not certain what Lori wants today, so I will call a meeting to see what everyone thinks when I go back over in the morning."

Their conversation was brought to an unexpected halt when Jay, who had been sitting beside Matt, fell over into the soldier's lap and immediately began emitting a low snore that evoked a choir of soft chuckles from the group.

"I think that's our cue to say goodnight," Meadow snickered and uttered a groan as she climbed to her feet, "Lee and Jett are on watch now. Dawn and Matt have the second shift. Who wants last?"

T-Dog and Carol offered, the silver haired woman also nominating herself to make breakfast for everyone as the rest began the trek to their beds.


	4. Chapter 4

4

"We need to check out the library and a bookstore when we get a chance," Dawn proclaimed as she and Meadow shared sentry duty whilst the men loaded the trucks, "We are going to need more than a handful of board games to stave off everyone climbing the walls over the winter."

"It would also be helpful to ransack the DIY section," her friend mused aloud, "We could learn to fix or make shit ourselves rather than go off on a treasure hunt, risking our lives, every time we need something repaired or replaced. Ought to look into collectin' some literature on home births an' all that happy hoopla as well, so we can garner some kind of know how before Lori pops out her lil zombie happy meal."

The blonde couldn't help but shake her head and laugh at the stout woman's unique perspective, "So I guess you still haven't warmed up to the idea of the group toting a baby around wherever we go?"

"Babies only do four things: eat, sleep, shit themselves, and cry. And that was before the dead decided humanity was better off as food," Meadow gave her a sideways glance, "How bad do you believe shit is going to be now? So fuck no, I'm not even a little happy about the situation. But it ain't my kid and therefore not my problem, so I'm gonna keep my yap shut till someone is dumb enough to ask my opinion on it."

"Yeah, because Lori is just dying to hear your opinion on anything," Dawn shrugged when the redhead raised an eyebrow in question, "You kind of scare the piss out of her, from what I've been hearing."

Meadow's hand froze in her hair, "Where in the hell did you hear that? Why would she be afraid of me? I've never done a damn thing to her, except try to take care of her kid when he's with us."

"She was moaning and carrying on the other day, when I took Glen and Jimmy home. She was bitching to anyone who would listen about how you run things over here, amongst some other shit," Dawn leaned a little closer and lowered her voice, "I think she's getting a bit cranky over the possibility of losing her queen bee status. Made some noise about catering to a foul mouthed hick with low morals. I wouldn't have told you any of this if I hadn't heard it with my own ears."

"Well shit. All I've done was help feed, clothe, and protect their little gang of rejects. Oh, and offer them a safe-ish place to park their asses where their every move isn't dictated by a religious nut,"she groaned and swiped some of the afternoon drizzle from her face, "What a fuckin' hypocrite. I'm not the one who was off doin' the nasty with my husband's bff and lettin' my kid run wild amidst the end of the fuckin' world. I've been bustin' my ass to take care of my people, and now their people too. Why in the hell would that frighten her so much? I don't want to take her crown an' shit, I just want my people to live. And for my people to live, everyone has to contribute. What is wrong with that?"

"You have to realize that she is the type of person who is accustomed to having everything handed to her on a silver platter. That mindset has made her weak of mind, soul, and body," her friend moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders, "People like Lori are afraid of people like you because you are stronger than her in every way that counts. You put your people ahead of self interests, you lead by example, you listen to those you care about and actively try to help them deal with their problems. You don't lord over people, manipulate them into doing your bidding, or sit on your ass like the camp's queen, ruling us peasants from your throne of bones and blood."

Meadow permitted herself to relax into Dawn's loose hug, "Yeah well she can keep her imaginary throne, I'd rather stay on the ground, in the thick of things, with the rest of the lowly peasants. You're my family."

"Ditto," she agreed and gave her an affectionate squeeze before retreating to resume their vigil.

*line break*

"I don't give a single flying fuck about how much you complain, you still need some long sleeved shirts to keep your dumbass warm this winter," Meadow barked in response to her redneck's nonstop grumbling as they sorted through the thrift shop's clothing section, "I have no idea why you're actin' like such a baby considerin' all you gotta do is rip the sleeves off come spring."

"They don't feel right Mea, bindin' up my arms and shit all the time," Daryl continued to complain, his blue eyes never ceasing their scan of the room, "How much longer is this gonna take?"

She shoved a final handful of garments into a garbage bag then tied it shut, "Done now, you fuckin' crybaby. Three bags of clothes, two bags of belts, boots, and shoes, then another bag of random shit. We can move on to the next place as soon as we get this crammed into the truck."

"Library is next, yeah?" he asked whilst lifting the two heaviest bags.

"Yep," she confirmed while shouldering the remaining bundles, "Unless you got somewhere else in mind?"

He was silent a moment before ducking his head, "I saw a place up the road that had a bunch of kids toys in the front window. I thought maybe we could swing by, see what we could find for the monsters, before we headed back. I mean, if we got time to waste."

Realizing his uncertainty for what it was, she gave his arm a pat as they emerged from the structure, "It sounds like a great idea babe. You pass it on to Rick and T-Dog so they can try to meet us there instead of the pharmacy."

He complied while she stacked the bags, then claimed the lead as they trekked to the end of the block, where the children's store sat on the corner. Inside, they dispatched two zeds, a mother and child, then hastily looted what they knew the kids would enjoy. Unfortunately their choices were relatively slim, so they moved on to the adjacent bookstore.

The other pair finally caught up as the couple were loading the last of their findings, each man lugging two grocery carts overflowing with goodies.

"Any problems?" Rick inquired as he accepted the water bottle Meadow held out.

"Nothin' to write home about. We blocked off the bookstore in case we need to make another trip down the road," she passed another bottle to a grateful T-Dog, "What about you? Anything excitin'?"

"Other than nearly turning a feral cat into chunks? About the same as you," the former lawman gestured towards the pilfered books, "Did you find what you were lookin' for?"

"And then some, to be honest," Meadow grinned, holding up a few How to books for him to see, "Found a fair bit more than I'd ever hoped to get my hands on. Top that off with that kid's place Daryl found, I can safely say that most everyone will be gettin' a pleasant surprise this time around. Maybe after they see this, a few people will stop bitchin' about how I'm a bad influence and shit."

"Did someone say something to you?" T-Dog piped up before Rick had an opportunity, "Man, was it Hershel again? I swear he is so damn deluded about what's really going down out here, away from his precious farm. Old man needs to get his head on straight before his bullshit gets people killed."

"T, there's no need to worry your pretty lil head about it, cuz I sure as hell ain't lettin' no one's mouth stop me," she responded, her gaze still holding Rick's, "Rest assured I will take care of the problem myself if it don't resolve itself in the near future. People who ain't got somethin' better to do than badmouth others need to sort out their priorities and I'm more than willing to give 'em a hand with that if they annoy me too much."

Rick mutely nodded once, her message received loud and clear, then broke eye contact and cleared his throat, "We need to get movin' if we plan have all this sorted and packed away before dark. Unless we needed to stop somewhere else?"

"Not this go 'round," Meadow announced, then whistled for Puck, who had been standing guard on the truck's roof, "Everything on my list is checked off, so I agree it would probably be a good idea to get the hell out of Dodge while the gettin's good."

Once the vehicles were on the move, Daryl lit two cancer sticks and passed one to his wife, who was at the wheel for the return trip, "What's got you thinkin' so hard over there? I think Officer Friendly can hear those gears turnin' from back there."

"Just tryin' to determine the best way to split shit up," she admitted while slowly navigating around a cluster of fallen trees, "Early on in this I learned to keep and maintain an emergency cache inside of every vehicle we had just in case we needed to bug out in a hurry. I lost a bunch of good people to learn that lesson too, but it also gave me Matt and Dawn."

"You found them in North Carolina, right? I never got the whole story," he revealed as the rain made another appearance.

"Lee, Jett, and I stumbled across a group of National Guard people risking a run to some base in Kentucky that was supposedly still secure. My people and theirs agreed to hole up together in this motel lobby. Our stupid asses brought our collective supplies inside to make some trades an' never bothered to put the shit back in our cars when we were done. It was around four in the mornin', everybody but the two guards sawin' logs, when a small herd broke through the lobby windows and sent us scramblin' for the vehicles. We had to leave everythin', I mean every single item, behind after we lost half of both groups tryin' to reach the stuff. To top it all off, we had four people who were bit ridin' with us, not that we knew at the time, so we didn't make it very far before we was fightin' our own with tire irons and rocks on the side of the road. I was still so fuckin' stupid back then and it got people killed. Good people."

"Hey, don't go beatin' yourself up over shit you had no control over," Daryl chided, threading his fingers through hers and giving them a gentle squeeze, "This shit that's goin' down? It fuckin' sucks ass but it ain't your fault. People was dyin' all the damn time before they started gettin' back up and eatin' each other, you can't take credit for that. What you can do is keep goin' and protect those around you the best you can while you can."

"I'm just havin' a fuckin' moment babe," she sighed and slumped in the seat, "As much as I say it don't bother me, I'm so damn tired of assholes talking shit on me when all I'm doing is wearin' myself to the bone tryin' to keep everyone safe. I work my ass off every goddamn day to make sure everyone has somethin' to eat, a place to sleep, and somewhere they can take a shit without a walker comin' outta nowhere and munching on 'em. Fuckin' Andrea, then Shane and Hershel. Now Lori's flappin' her gums cuz she don't like how I do things on our farm? I mean nothin' I'm doin' even affects her unless she decides to bring her skinny ass our way, so why does she have a beef with me? All this shit makes me wanna say fuck it all and go back to just lookin' out for me and mine. Fuck her and fuck them. I ain't gonna sit around on my ass and allow people to shit all over me cuz they don't have the cajones to hash shit out with me personally."

"Just say the word darlin'," her husband announced without an ounce of hesitation. Her obvious confusion prompted him to elaborate on his declaration, "I told you before, you're it for me. Where you go, I go and not a single fuckin' thing any of them say will change that. Those fuckers wanna run you out? Make you feel unwelcome after all the shit you've done for them? Fuck 'em. If you ain't welcome, then I ain't either. That fuckin' simple."

"Dar, babe, some of those people you've known since this shit started," her exasperation was beyond obvious, "I am not gonna make you choose between-"

He briefly wrestled with something in his pocket then held up his hand for her to view. In his palm laid a pair of rings, each one a shining silver band chased with blackened infinity knots, "Someone told me that shit like this might be avoided if both of us wore a noticeable sign that we weren't lookin' to make friends."

"Not exactly where I was going with that line of thought but," she snorted out a laugh and accepted the abrupt subject change, "Carol or Rick?"

"Dale," the hunter confessed, his cheeks flushing pink as he lifted the smaller ring and offered it to her, "Lemme put this on you right now, before I do somethin' else stupid, like lose it."

She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel, then flashed him a smile while he oh so carefully slid the piece of jewelry into place. She had to slow the truck down to a crawl in order to slide his ring on, then laughed heartily as he played with his new adornment for the next several minutes.

"Feels kinda weird," he muttered when he noticed her voyeurism.

"Good weird or bad weird?" she investigated, absently stroking her own band.

"Just weird. Ain't used to wearin' shit on my hands," he stopped fidgeting and lit each of them a new cigarette, "It's kinda like how your mouth feels after you get a filling in one of your teeth."

"Well, I'm not gonna make you wear if it's uncomfortable," she answered after a moment of silence, "You won't hurt my feelings if you decide it ain't for you."

"Mea, I wanna wear the damn ring," Daryl snapped, then immediately dropped his head and added in a softer tone, "I like the idea of people knowin' we're a serious thing. I want everyone to know we're, uh, exclusive."

She couldn't help but chuckle at his sudden bout of awkward rambling and touched the ring on his finger, "You ain't got a problem shoutin' to the world that I'm your wife, but you're gettin' all flustered when it's just us here. What's goin' on babe?"

He didn't answer for a long time and she knew better than to force a response before he was damn well good and ready, so she turned on the cd in the stereo and left him to his thoughts.

They eventually parked at the farmstead and just as Meadow moved to exit the cab, his arms shot out and pulled her to him.

"You know that I love you more than anything, right Mea?" he murmured the inquiry into the temple his lips were hovering against, "Just cuz I don't go 'round beltin' it out to everythin' with ears don't mean it's not how I feel."

"I love you too Daryl," she answered with all of her love saturating her words, "And yes, I know you love me. Only once did I ever doubt that and we both paid the price. Seeing you walk up those steps was something of a miracle for me because I got to learn the truth. You asked me then to believe you, even if all I could give you in return was an ass whoopin'. Seein' you on your knees like that, so heartbroken and lost, I swore to myself that I would never ever doubt you again. I make the same promise to you now."

"Thank you," he smiled, then gave her a long kiss before hopping out to help with the unloading.

*line break*

"Lee is taking Jay along to check all the snares and Jett has Belle and Matt checking fences with him," Dawn rattled off while she and the redhead packed away the last of the breakfast dishes, "When are the others slated to arrive?"

"Rick wanted to get his meeting out of the way this morning before they brought the kids over for practice," the stout woman replied, drying her hands on a rag as her eyes drifted across the yard, "I know a few of 'em planned on helping with some shit on their end, so I don't have a full list of who we're hostin' today."

"Was the meeting about moving this way?" the blonde followed her comrade onto the porch and waited as the other paused to light a smoke, "Or was there another bout of drama that needed sorting before it spilled over?"

"From what I understand, Lori and Rick were going to formally announce her pregnancy before breakfast," Meadow divulged, leaning against a railing, "I bet they're gonna be so thrilled with the big news."

"Not to be an asshole here, but didn't everyone know already?" Dawn mirrored her pose as she spoke, then gave a soft gasp as understanding set in, "She wants to make a spectacle to show off how she and Rick are so happy and in love because she's hoping the big scene will stop people from wondering who fathered the baby."

Meadow gave an indecisive grunt, "More like keeping Officer Friendly from askin' too many questions about the soon-to-be happy meal's paternity, considering even we know about Lori and Shane bumpin' uglies before he rode back into the picture."

"So are we going to start placing bets on how long it takes one of them to ask us for extra food and stuff so they can celebrate the occasion?" Dawn snickered, one hand reaching out to stroke Pan as he padded over, "You already know Lori won't debase herself by personally making the request, not if you are involved. So I guess a single question remains: How much of an asshole should I be if she approaches me about it?"

"Just tell her you ain't the one in charge this week," the redhead answered in a flat tone, "She don't need to know we make all the big decisions as a collective. Honestly, none of them need that information unless they choose to join our little troupe of misfits."

"I'm perfectly fine with letting everyone think you're in charge regardless," Dawn retorted, then started down the stairs with the mutt in tow, "I'm gonna go ensure the cellar is still locked up tight. We don't need our stockpile to be pilfered by someone Lori sweet talked into doing her dirty work."

Meadow nodded mutely, then called the other woman back to her, "Are we still good people Dawn? Or are we turning into those bastards who robbed us at the state line?"

"We are still good people, in my opinion," the blonde decided after a few seconds of contemplation, "I can't say we are as naive or as forgiving as we were back then because we now fully understand that we are the only thing that stands between those we love and those who wish to do us harm. And yes we fight, and we have killed, but we have only done so in order to protect our people, not because we wanted to help the world self destruct."

"If I ever cross that line, will you kick my ass until I get my head on straight? Or put me down if I'm too far gone to save?"

Dawn nodded and gave her a smile, "I'll be the first in line, since I know in my heart you would do the same for me, or any of the rest of us."

*line break*

The sun was creeping toward its zenith when a train of vehicles came into view, all led by Daryl's chopper. Meadow abandoned the drying animal skins she was pinning to the racks and trotted over to greet her spouse, "What's goin' on Dixon? Is it movin' day or are we gonna need a disco ball?"

"Call your people Mea, we got some important shit to share with y'all," he evaded her questions even as he stepped closer for a hug and kiss, "Shit's gonna hit the fan, so be ready."

She bobbed her head in acknowledgment, then whistled her group before touching his bicep, "How bad is the situation?"

"Probably somewhere between Carl gettin' gut shot an' that one drunk chick at the diner who thought I was her husband," he vaguely confessed, then left to help T-Dog haul tents.

The tension in the air skyrocketed when both Lori and Andrea emerged from Dale's rust bucket, each wearing a thunderous glower.

Rick finally materialized after both groups had merged in the front yard and looked increasingly unsettled as he shifted to address the redhead first and foremost, "A life threatening situation has developed over at the Greene farm. I know we have had some issues while getting to know each other, but i-we were sincerely hoping that your offer for us to stay could be invoked while I work things out with Hershel."

"Hershel is stowing walkers in a barn," T-Dog blurted loudly before the former lawman could continue, "He thinks they're people who can be cured."

"That is some fucked up shit," Matt muttered from his place beside Meadow, then raised his voice, "Did he tell you this?"

"Glen discovered their presence earlier today," Rick revealed morosely and the stout woman sought out the geeky kid but found him to be absent. With that knowledge, she caught the attention of each of her people. One by one they gave her a short nod, giving her their verdict amidst Rick's continued speech.

"Right," she blew out a loud sigh and swiveled back around to the newcomers as their leader's voice faded away, "If you choose to stay here, there are rules you will follow or you will be forced to face the consequences of your actions. There are quite a few, but all of them are easy to remember.

Everyone pitches in and helps keep this circus running. If you make the choice not to help, you are choosing to not reap the benefits of the group's hard work.

Drama is for bad television. That means you keep your bullshit to a minimum unless you wish to have it sorted for you.

Not a single member of this group has a higher value or an increased worth over any other member. Nobody gives a single fuck how important you were before the world ended because, as of now, you are simply one more sorry son of a bitch who has been lucky enough to survive this long.

Spousal abuse and child abuse will get you beaten to a pulp, if not outright executed.

Every person capable of holding a weapon is required to be trained in the safe use of as many weapons as reasonably possible. This does include melee weapons, firearms, bows, etc. Fire arms will always take priority when ammunition is available. There are no exceptions.

No one travels alone. If you are making a trip to get water, you grab at least one partner. If you're off for a bathroom break, take a buddy. Again, no exceptions.

Respect will be given to every member of the group. A large percentage of life is now being conducted in close quarters, so each one of us is responsible for maintaining as peaceful of an environment as we can manage. If-"

"How long is this list of rules?" Andrea sniped while making a show of rolling her eyes.

"If this isn't to your liking, you are more than welcome to make alternate arrangements for outlasting the apocalypse," Dawn fired back with a sneer, her stance challenging the other woman.

When there were no further interruptions, Meadow continued, "Every able bodied person will take shifts with various chores. This includes cooking, laundry, guard duty, latrine duty, and whatever other jobs arise as needed. This does include raids and shopping trips. It is cruel for the same group of people to be forced out there, risking theirs lives, so the rest of us can be more comfortable."

"But I'm pregnant!" Lori wailed in protest, her arms flapping dramatically, "I can't do half of the jobs you listed!"

"I fail to see where that is anyone's problem but yours," the redhead retaliated in a flat tone, "You will undertake the tasks you are assigned until you become too much of a liability, at that time you will double up on other duties you are still capable of while another takes your original place on the roster.

Now for placement. Aside from the attic, which will always be reserved for the children to play and bunk in, everyone who wishes to spend the night in one of the house bedrooms will be placed on a rotating schedule. Example: If you are tapped for a raid, you automatically receive a bedroom allowance the night before and the night you return, but if you just want some freaky time for a night, you get put on a waiting list. Illness is an exception that includes things like pneumonia, chicken pox, or anything severe enough to warrant constant monitoring. Matt and Dawn are jointly responsible for the ledger, so all requests will be handled by them.

There are a few animals calling the barn home, but feel free to bunk in the loft until you can find an acceptable spot to pitch your tent. Be advised that you cannot claim the barn for personal use. The barn is not meant to be a permanent placement for anything but the animals. Instead, see it as a last resort for emergencies. We are reserving it as such because the structure is sturdy enough to withstand things like hurricanes and will be a rally point if such an event occurs. The only exceptions are the bath tubs and showers we have installed in a few of the stalls on this side of the building. They have been enclosed with the proper materials to contain water and ensure a person's privacy. Needless to say, anyone caught trying to spy on bathers will be beaten to within an inch of their life.

There will also be a rotating schedule for house showers as well, though hot water will not be guaranteed. The toilets in the house are off limits because we cannot risk clogging the sewer system.

The rest is mainly common sense shit. Don't steal, don't purposely be an ass around the kids, etc. Any reasonable questions?"

"What if we have a problem with any of these rules?" Lori was quick to ask.

"The complaint department is located on the fifth floor of the southeast wing and it is open every other Friday," Meadow quipped, then paused to light a smoke while everyone absorbed the barrage of information. She lingered for a minute, then resumed, "Okay then. Before I forget, all vehicles will be parked facing away from the house, just in case we have to bug out in a hurry. Each road worthy machine will be stocked with a crate of emergency supplies that will be checked every day. And I would suggest you think about constructing your camp somewhere on that stretch between the big barn and the house so you can avoid most of the smoke coming from the fire pits we have set up. Now Rick, I would like a word with you after you get your people settled, if you're amendable."

"Yes ma'am," he acknowledged while guiding his wife and son away, "Should I come to the house?"

"Come around the back," she instructed as the dogs gathered around her, "I want to show you where we are storin' the barrels of fresh water we use to cook."

"Can do," he threw the words over his shoulder because his spouse had started dragging him back to the RV.

She waited over two hours for the former lawman to reappear, looking drawn and tired whilst she led him to a small shed attached to the back of the house.

"What else did you need Meadow?" he finally asked after she explained the importance of maintaining a large supply of drinkable water.

"What is your plan for dealing with Hershel's horde of pet zombies?" she queried in a tone that matched his weariness, "Those zeds are going keep makin' noise, drawin' more and more, until both our places get overrun. You have to know this. It's one of their established behaviors."

"Actually I wasn't aware. I was in a coma when all this started. Only woke up about two months or so ago. Had been awake approximately three weeks when we first came to Hershel's farm," he countered, a hint of shame entering his tone, "So I gotta admit that I was originally hoping to make Hershel see the risk he is taking by lockin' them up. That scrap of information you gave has actually given me my best argument, so thank you."

She nodded her acknowledgment and pressed on, "When are you plannin' on havin' this showdown?"

"I was gonna head over now, unless you have anything else for me?" he started to fidget as he spoke, "I want to get this behind us as soon as possible."

She waved him off, "Go have your chat with the zealot. Dinner ought to be done by dark, so keep that in mind. Oh, and if you bring Shane back with you, make sure he is gagged, restrained, and sedated or else I might blow out his kneecaps, if Dawn doesn't get to him first."

Thinking she was joking, he snorted out a laugh as he walked away.

*line break*

"Lori and Andrea felt the need to go see what was taking so long," Carol informed the redhead as she exited the smokehouse.

"I know. Daryl went along to keep an eye on things," Meadow said as she accepted a bottle of water from the other woman, "I hope he doesn't have to break up a catfight between those two, cuz I'll have to beat both their asses if he gets hurt and I'm not in the mood for a fight today."

"Maybe things won't be so bad. Rick seemed like he was in good spirits when he came back last night," Carol tried to remain positive, infusing her voice with all the hope she was able to muster, "If anyone can find a good solution to this, it's him."

"I'm not doubting Rick's negotiating skills, nor his drive to find a peaceful outcome," she assuaged her companion while lighting a cigarette, "What I'm worried about are those fuckin' people who are determined to stick their noses in everything, then jump to conclusions when the facts don't fit their conjured narrative. Those kind of people who cause problems, not solve them."

The silver haired woman knew exactly who was being referenced but could little more than pat the stout woman, "It will work itself out Meadow."

"I sure as hell hope so," she replied dubiously, the knots in her stomach twisting tighter.


	5. Chapter 5

5

"Meadow!" Matt crowed, charging into the barn where Lee and the redhead were stowing extra water barrels for their guests, "I just had T-Dog freak out on me over the walkie. I guess Shane went off the deep end and flipped his shit. He's currently passing out guns to everyone and threatening to shoot up the barn holding the zeds."

"Who do we have over there currently?" she queried as she finished drying her hands on her shirt then hefted her rifle, "I fuckin' knew it was a bad idea to send people back over there."

"Almost everyone has been making trips back and forth because Rick needed some assistance with a big ass tree that had taken out part of a fence overnight," the soldier reported, falling into step with her during the journey to commandeer a truck, "How are we going to play this one?"

"We've gotta contain Shane right off the bat. He is extremely volatile and we can't afford him doin' something even more idiotic than what he already has," the stout woman replied after swinging herself up into the driver's seat, "Let Rick handle whatever tantrum Hershel throws because, as much as I hate to admit it, the damn coot has a solid reason to have a fit this time."

"What about the walkers in the barn?" he pressed once he joined her in the cab and they were on the move, "This could be our chance to take them all out."

"I know. But if it's worst case scenario when we arrive, we'll just torch the barn with the zeds still inside. If it hasn't reached that point yet, we can hope Rick's managed to actually talk some sense into the old man and we can clear them out, with his blessing," she navigated the rust bucket onto the gravel road, then lit a cigarette, "I'm so tired of these assholes. Always shovin' their drama in everybody's faces or puttin' people at risk because of willful ignorance. I'm half tempted to punt Shane into that fuckin' barn, then burn it to the ground no matter how loud Hershel squawks."

"You do realize no matter what we do, this is going to stir up more problems with him and his people, right?" Matt shifted uncomfortably in his seat a moment, then forged on, "I mean the man is a first class, grade A prick. Such a prick, in fact, you ought to see his face every time he sees Dawn and I together. I swear it's like he's never seen a black man and a white woman together as a couple before."

"He certainly has some fucked up ideals, I'll grant you that," her eyes never left the road as she spoke, "But with the human/zombie ratio bein' what it is right now, all I can say is the other bullshit will have to be addressed later on, when we're all semi-safe and still alive to hash the grudges out."

He grumbled a half-assed concession then fell silent as the other farm emerged from around a turn.

Daryl was the first to spot the vehicle and trotted over as she parked the truck under a tree on the front lawn. "Who's watching the rugrats?"

"Carol, Dawn, Puck and Lee," his wife rattled off while shouldering her gun, "Where's Rick? And why hasn't he shut down Shane yet?"

"No fuckin' idea. Haven't been able to find him. Hershel and Jimmy are gone too, so I'm assuming they're off doin' stupid shit together," he revealed just as Shane's irate trumpeting came to them on the breeze, "And that's why I had T call for y'all."

"What in the hell is he screaming about?" Matt hissed, eyes scanning for threats as Daryl gestured for them to follow.

The trio warily moved around the house and immediately noticed that Shane's antics had caught the attention of every person in the vicinity. The brute had clearly come unhinged, ranting and flailing his pistol around as he belted out a monologue.

"Fucked up to see how far he's fallen since Atlanta," Daryl uttered quietly, his larger frame shifting to stand in front of his spouse.

The crazed former cop noticed their arrival and stomped his way across the grass. He was well within stabbing distance when he tossed his shotgun at the redneck, who caught it with practiced ease, "Are you gonna protect your own? Or are you gonna let that crazy old bastard get us all killed?"

He exchanged a look with the redhead over his shoulder, then cocked the gun when he turned back to face the other man, "I'm in."

Shane oozed smugness as he sneered at the other two, "See? We don't none of your damn help, so it would be best if you took your asses back over the hill before you get hurt too."

"I'm merely here to have a chat with Rick, not waste ammo. Once I've concluded my business, I will be more than happy to leave you to your lil mutiny," she fired back, one hand covertly grasping the hilt of her knife, "You wanna speed this up? Be a good dog and go fetch him for me."

The man's lips contorted almost comically and he let out a snarl like some kind of feral beast as he reared back, "I'm not one of your fuckin' lackeys, you stupid-"

"Rick!" Lori's shriek echoed through the yard, causing everyone to move en masse in her direction.

To the surprise of all, Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy were each leading an undead cannibal out of the surrounding forest by what looked like the rigs animal control used to capture animals.

"What in the fuck?" Matt blurted, freezing in place as the gruesome parade marched closer.

"Are you that fucking stupid?!" Meadow howled and shot forward, the barrel of her rifle leading the way, "Those things will take a bite out of your ass if you give 'em even half a chance! They aren't fucking stray kittens you fucking moron!"

"They are sick people!" Hershel insisted while struggling to maintain control of his newest pet monster, "They need our help, not murdered in cold blood!"

"They need put down before they eat someone, like your fuckin' daughters, you stupid son of a bitch!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs, "They can't be saved. Can't be cured. Or housebroken. Or taught not to rip you to shreds while they turn you into a happy meal! They are dead Hershel! Look at them! How do you fix dead?"

"They are sick!" the old man reiterated, unwilling to see through his own delusion, "They need-"

Without warning, Shane fired two slugs into the chest of the reanimated corpse closest to him. He stepped around the rotting body with renewed vigor, "Two fatal gunshot wounds to the chest and she's still walking! Do you wanna explain how that's possible Hershel? Gonna try to tell us that's normal?"

"That is enough!" Rick roared in an effort to stave off the inevitable, "Everyone just stand down and take a breath! We don't need to escalate this to the point where we start turning our guns on one another. I-"

"It is enough," his former best friend cut him off with a low growl before firing a single round into the undead woman's skull, then swiftly took out the other two walkers before anyone could move.

A beat of silence passed unchallenged.

Then all hell suddenly broke loose. People started screaming at each other and drawing whatever weapons they had in their possession.

Unfortunately, the bulk of them failed to catch Shane slinking off toward the walker barn nor did they notice when he broke the lock holding the doors closed and released the hungry dead .

"Mea look out!" Daryl's warning rose over the din, causing her to straighten and look where he was pointing.

"Fuck! Matt!" she was already raising her rifle and firing as the soldier sought out the new threat.

The cacophony was deafening as the group momentarily forgot what they had been arguing about and began taking down the encroaching zeds. Matt and Daryl maneuvered themselves around amongst the chaos until the pair were protectively flanking the stout redhead.

Then the last monster fell, leaving the space obscured by dust, smoke, and the stench of rotting meat.

Beth staggered through the grotesque menagerie of corpses, yelling for her mother and brother all the while. When the girl was mere yards from Meadow, she was suddenly yanked off her feet by her reanimated parent.

Meadow rushed to dispatch the creature, then hauled the wailing girl over to where her father stood, looking dumbfounded.

"Your stubborn, idiotic ass just nearly got your little girl eaten by her own fuckin' mother!" the stocky woman roared as she shoved Beth at him. She then spun back around and marched over to Daryl and Matt, who were currently observing Rick and Shane's resuscitated quarrel," I'm leavin'. This bad soap opera is way too much fuckin' crazy for me to handle and I've still got my own to look after. Let me know if they kill each other, and try not to be too late for dinner."

"You're just going to leave?" Lori bayed and hurtled after the other woman, who was checking her gun as she strode back to her vehicle, "You can't just-"

"I can't just what Lori? Can't get the fuck away from this horrific after school special because it ain't my fuckin' issue? Can't mind my own fuckin' business and focus on my own people and our own problems?" Meadow challenged, unwilling to be cowed by the slighter female's laughable attempt at intimidation, "You bet your skinny flat ass I can do just that. This shit goin' on here? No longer even remotely my problem now that the biters have been dealt with. Now you can go back to frettin' about which guy you're gonna screw tonight without any of my-"

The slap had been expected from the second the brunette had invaded her space, but the ensuing silence was astounding. The cluster of survivors collectively stopped in their tracks as their brains registered exactly what had just occurred. No one knew what would come next.

Meadow merely flashed a venom soaked smile and swiped away the blood that oozed from a cut left by Lori's wedding ring.

"I-I-" the frail woman stammered, hands already fretfully twisting together, then proceeded to flinch when the redhead held up her free hand.

"Don't speak. Don't you fuckin' say another word. I may not have the willpower to stop myself from guttin' you if you do," she warned lowly, earning herself a bevy of gasps. She ignored the muted outburst and glared up into Lori's dark eyes, "This is your one freebie, on account of being habitually stupid. But if you ever lay another hand on me or mine again, I promise I will kill your husband, then kill your son. You will watch me butcher your entire fuckin' family before I finally skin you alive. And don't you believe for a minute that the happy meal Shane put in you belly is gonna save you either, so think long and hard before you say or do anythin' in my presence from here on out. You understand? Nod your fuckin' head if you do cuz I'm dead fuckin' serious about you not speakin' right now."

Lori, who was now trembling like a leaf in a windstorm, gave a spastic nod before scurrying to the relative safety at her recently arrived husband's back.

"Just before I came over, Dawn and Jett brought back a pair of nice sized wild hogs we're gonna make for dinner. Gonna roast 'em all day with spices and shit, like you're supposed to, but there will be plenty of pork to go 'round tonight if y'all get hungry," Meadow announced calmly, as if the last hour or so hadn't transpired, then re-slung her gun, "Now I have grass to finish mowin' and horses to feed, so Imma head on back. If any of you are needin' a ride, and can behaves yourselves, you are more than welcome to come along."

Daryl stuck his head in the window right as she put the truck in gear, "You alright?"

"I'm fanfuckinsatstic," she stated with a sarcastic lilt. Her green orbs involuntarily rolled when he gave her a dubious look, but she relented, "Look Dar, I'm tired and sore, I have one hell of a headache, and I still have a ton of shit to get done today, no matter how fed up with everything I am presently. What else do you want me to say babe?"

One calloused hand cupped her still crimson cheek, "I have never struck a woman in my life, but I damn near laid that bitch out when she smacked you. If she's ever dumb enough to try that shit again, I can't say I'm gonna be strong enough to resist the urge a second time."

"That makes two of us," his spouse muttered peevishly even as she took a brief moment to indulge in his touch before straightening in the seat once again, "Are you comin' with? Remove yourself from temptation and all that?"

He shook his head and relinquished his hold on her face to light each of them a hand rolled smoke, "Nah, I can't. Gotta stick around for a bit, help dispose of the bodies before they stink up the place too much more. Should be home by dinner time though."

Meadow couldn't help but beam at his final words, causing his head to cant sideways in confusion, "What the hell you smirkin' at? Do I got some shit on my face or somethin'?"

"You called our farm home," she explained and stretched far enough out of the window to gift him with a heady kiss, "Hearin' it from you sounded so nice, that's all."

"Darlin', when are you gonna realize that my home ain't a place? My home is wherever you are," he suavely retorted, promptly kissed her once more, then sauntered off toward whatever surprise the macabre circus held in store next.

*line break*

Those left behind at the other farm were less than pleased to hear about the events which had played out in their absence, but nevertheless agreed to leave things to settle until someone decided to carry it back with them.

When the rest of the stragglers returned to the farmstead a few hours later, grim news followed in their wake. Hershel had vanished again sometime after the firefight ended and the subsequent clean up began so Rick and Glen went to go search for him within a few minutes of Beth falling catatonic due to shock and the group learning of the Greene patriarch's absence.

Lori-who stayed behind to wait for her husband's return-had made an attempt to bully the redneck into chasing after the pair not long after their initial departure and received an earful from Daryl before he decided to join his wife on the other property.

Just as everyone was finally settling into their meals, Lee padded over to Meadow and whispered, "A car just went by our gates, headed in the direction of the highway. Should we get a few people to follow?"

"Leave it be, it's not our problem if they decide to go runnin' off to do who knows what," she ordered, refusing to be concerned over the other groups never ending drama, "If they need our help with somethin', they would have stopped and asked. Make sure you get yourself another plate of food before you go back out."

He muttered an affirmation and turned away, prompting Daryl to lean her direction, "What's up?"

"Somebody just left Hershel's in a car," she divulged with a dismissive shrug, "It's not our issue till they make it so. After today, I refuse to risk people just because I'm curious as to what harebrained plan they're playin' out now. And don't even bring up Beth, because if it had somethin' to do with her, we both know whoever it was would've stopped."

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed and resumed eating.

*line break*

"We have a problem," Daryl announced upon finding his wife chopping wood, "A big fuckin' problem."

Hearing his serious tone, Meadow leaned her axe against the slow growing pile and moved to meet the hunter as he stopped, "What kind of problem?"

"Right after Rick and Glen found the old man drunk in a bar yesterday, they were attacked by another group. Killed two of 'em," he paused to take a long draw from his cigarette before continuing, "They were fightin' their way out, shootin' at each other like it was the O.K. Corral, when walkers flooded the area and broke up the party. Everyone scrambled. Our guys found one of their guys speared on a piece of fence and decided we didn't have enough trouble, so they saved him and brought him back to Hershel's."

"This other group, are they just passin' through or looking to settle?" the gears in her head were already approaching warp speed as she attempted to map out all of the possible outcomes that could feasibly play out, "Do we know which direction they came from? Or where they're headin'?"

"Darlin', I dunno none of that cuz I guess the kid's been unconscious since they put him in the car," the hunter's own frustration bubbled to the surface, "And Rick's bright idea to deal with it all was to tie him up in the fuckin' barn and set a guard. Can't say I think it's nearly fuckin' enough. Now I've got a bad feelin' I can't shake."

"I'll have the cars loaded and ready, just in case this kid's crew comes lookin' for him and they prove to be unfriendly," she did her best to soothe him by winding her arms around his shoulders, "I'd hate to give all this up, especially the supplies, but if they outnumber-and outgun-us, we won't have much of a choice. I guess I'm gonna have to hope for the best while I prepare for the worst. Again."

He rumbled his agreement into her unruly curls, then gave her a kiss before releasing his hold, "By the way I found out who drove by last night. Lori got a bug up her ass an' went looking for Rick and them. Totaled the damn car. Shane had to rein in his craziness long enough to go fetch her."

"Is she okay?" his wife inquired, genuinely concerned despite the glaring issues she had with the other woman. She wanted to kick the shit out of the pretentious bitch, not see her turn walker.

"She got a couple of scratches an' bruises but I think that pride of hers took the most damage, aside from the car," he qualified then gave her a smirk, "You gonna send her a Get Well card to show how much you care?"

"Keep dreamin' Alice, Wonderland's around the next corner," she scoffed and pushed him away playfully, "Stop and say hi to the kids before you leave, they're missin' ya somethin' fierce."

He answered with a mock salute and a final kiss before sobering, "Rick's supposed to come by later and pass on the dirty details. Be prepared for his camp queen to be ridin' his coat tails. Try not to provoke her into hittin' ya again."

"No promises," she quipped mischievously as they set out in opposite directions.

*line break*

"I am really not okay with this," Dawn griped to the horde gathered on and around the front porch, "If they set him free within twenty miles of this place, he could reconnect with his bunch and lead them right back to us."

"Keeping him alive at this point is a complete waste of time and resources," her husband added with equal resentment whilst glaring at Rick.

"We don't kill the living unless we have no other choice," the former lawman sternly countered from his position beside his quivering wife, "We're not savages. If we kill that boy, we are nothin' but monsters."

"We're monsters if we kill to protect our family?" Jayden hissed bitterly, startling everyone as the young boy rose to stare down the older man, "So that must mean I'm a monster already because I killed a man who tried to rape my sister. Isn't that right, by your definition? I'm a monster because I didn't find another way to get him to stop? Fuck you."

"Language!" Carol chided but snapped her jaws shut when the child's aunt twisted around froze her with a dead eyed stare.

"Why are all the kids at this meeting anyways?" Andrea felt brave enough to ask then paled as green orbs shifted her way.

"They have earned the right to help make group decisions, just like everyone here," Dawn explained with barely restrained hostility, "They work, they fight, and they worry about shit every bit as much as the rest of us. It wouldn't be fair to them if they were excluded on account of when their birthday is."

"But they're just children!" Lori yowled in horror.

"No they aren't," Matt interjected curtly, leaving no room for further arguments, "They are survivors, just like me or you. They have been living in this hell for just as long as we have. Now quit stirring shit and get back to the subject at hand, or you can go sit in the car. Choose."

"He doesn't know who we are or where the farm is located," Rick rushed to reclaim control of the conversation, "If we checked the maps, we might be able to find somewhere distant enough to release him without riskin' ourselves."

"Can you give us a one hundred and ten percent guarantee that he would not be able to find his way back or bring his buddies along for the return trip?" Jett quietly challenged, arms crossed over his chest, "And are you willing to bet Carl's life on that promise? Maybe Sophia's? How about Jayden, Isabelle, or even that baby your wife is carrying? Because that is what you are risking if you permit him to go free."

No one could utter a word for a long minute. Eventually the meeting was pushed aside in order to prepare dinner, but the young man's questions continued to persistently swim around in their heads.

Rick trailed into the house after the redhead, where she had previously been divvying up supplies for each vehicle. She was content to work under his watchful gaze until he could settle on what he intended to speak with her about. She made no comment when he mutely moved to assist her, sorting and packing every item she nudged his way.

After they had concluded the distribution of supplies and placed them in all the vehicles, Rick finally cleared his throat to signal he was ready to speak. "What are your thoughts about this kid?"

"Are you certain you wish to hear what I have to say Officer Friendly?" she forced her voice to maintain a neutral pitch despite being well aware there wasn't a chance in hell he would be happy with her honest assessment of the situation.

"I know we have our issues, but I truly do value your opinion," he stated as he leaned back against the hatch of their recently acquired SUV, "You are a very intelligent person, and even though I don't always agree with your methods, I always respect what you have to say. So yes, I definitely desire to hear your thoughts on this."

"Fine. But don't come back later and say I didn't warn you," she ran a hand through her frizzy mane, then sighed as she mirrored his pose, "I think letting this guy live was your first big mistake, even if his buddies left him high and dry. Now we're stuck in a position of havin' to care for someone who is completely useless."

"Why is he useless? Explain that to me please."

She shook her head in exasperation but complied, "We can't trust him Rick. He couldn't go out shoppin' because how would we be certain he wasn't just lookin' for a way to kill us or get in contact with his people? We can't just allow him to wander about unsupervised either, considerin' that would put him in very close quarters with both the kids and our stockpile of supplies. Besides, didn't you already admit that those other assholes from his group gave you and Glen the heebie-jeebies?"

"Yes I did," he held up a hand in a silent plea to continue when she started to respond, "But what if he's simply a good kid who got caught up with a bad crowd because he wanted to survive? Can we really fault him for that?"

"That is not our problem Rick. That's his, and his alone, from the moment he chose to raise a weapon against you instead of askin' for help. _Our_ concern, _our_ priority, is to keep _our_ people_-our family-_as safe as humanly possible," she argued, struggling to swallow the sudden urge to shout abuse at him for being so fucking naive, "With Shane and Andrea lurking about, stirrin' shit like they always are, I personally believe we already have filled our quota for loose cannons. Then there's the issue of you and Lori incubation' a shit machine which, if I may add, is actually turnin' out to be a big fuckin' nightmare for everyone. Do I even need to remind you of Hershel and his particularly batshit version of crazy?"

He mulled over her speech for a long minute before his shoulders sagged dejectedly, "I don't know if I have it in me to kill an unarmed, injured kid. It feels wrong."

"Tell me somethin' then, did he have the same crisis of conscience when he and his buddies were tryin' to kill you and steal your shit?" she retaliated, her visage blank as he cringed in the face of her words, "Rick, you're gonna do what you want to do no matter what I say because you've already made up your mind about how this is gonna go. You know that and I know that."

"And what am I gonna do Meadow?" he asked weakly, not daring to look her in the eyes.

She took the time to light a cigarette and purposely stalled until he gathered enough courage to meet her gaze, then she aimed a finger his way, "You're gonna let him go. You are gonna let him walk away-probably with a bunch of our hard earned supplies-because you feel sorry for the little shit. And when you do that, my people ain't gettin' involved from that moment on. You get to deal with those repercussions all on your lonesome because I have to protect my people, even from you, if I have to."

"You never seem to doubt a single thing that comes out of your mouth. Everything you say, you always sound absolutely certain of what you're talkin' about, did you know that?" he suddenly asked, leaving her head spinning over the unexpected change in subject, "What did you do before all this happened? It had to have been somethin' special. Critical care nurse? FBI? Crisis counselor? What?"

"I worked midnight's at a shitty big box store, stocking shelves night after night when I wasn't bein' harassed by drunk college kids who had just left the strip club down the road," she admitted with no shame whatsoever, "The brain damage I sustained during the application of this beauty mark shredded my dreams of goin' to college, like my brother did, so I've got to spend my entire adult life bouncin' from one shitty minimum wage job to another. All of my supposed wisdom actually comes from making a lot of mistakes during the times when my common sense decided to take a sudden vacation."

"You make yourself sound so old," Rick gently chided with a slight shake of his head, "You can't be more than what? Twenty three? Twenty seven years old?"

"Thanks for the confidence booster Officer," she snorted out a laugh, earning herself another perplexed look, "It's kinda funny, people always peg me for either much older or much younger than I really am. Well, they used to, before they all died then decided I was better off as dinner. I'm actually thirty five and countin'."

"Well damn, I guess it goes to show that appearances aren't everything," he said in good humor, "I think that might be more true now than it ever was."

She didn't bother with giving a reply. She simply smiled and gave his arm a pat before going off to find her wayward redneck.

Meadow found him perched on a porch railing, his azure gaze glued to the quartet of children while they fed the goats and pigs who had meandered into the front yard.

"He's gonna let the kid go, ain't he?" Daryl questioned after accepting a kiss from his stocky bride.

"Was there ever any doubt babe?" she asked in return, settling her rump against the rail to join in the babysitting, "Rick is a real good guy...and that is his fatal flaw. He can't help but search for the good in every person he encounters, in every situation he finds himself in. He's a tried and true idealist. The man's never had the need for cynicism or suspicion in his personal life, so now he's strugglin' with the way the world works now."

He passed her a hand rolled smoke, then lit it for her before sparking up his own, "Did he actually say he was gonna let the kid off the leash?"

"No, but you know as well as I do that Rick would never consider doin' anything else unless it was literally a matter of life and death playin' out in front of him," Meadow correctly surmised, giving him a sideways glance, "I proceeded to inform him that if he chooses to do that, then he will be doin' so without the support of any of my people. I won't support a stupid decision, especially if my family has to deal with the consequences. That said, I won't hold it against you if you feel the need to help him because your sense of loyalty forces you to."

He reached out and took her hand, his thumb brushing over her wedding band, "I am loyal, I can admit that without soundin' like a wuss. But it ain't him that chose to wear my ring or share my last name."

"Daryl-" she started to argue, but he hushed her with a kiss.

"Mea, my decision not to help would've been the same whether you were around or not," he insisted, his storm ridden eyes shining with unrelenting honesty, "But it's fuckin' wonderful to know that someone around here, besides me, still has some fuckin' common sense left."

"Aww, you still say the sweetest things," she smirked then kissed him again.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Before I get started, I have to respond to a very polite question asking why I refer to Meadow as stout or stocky. This humble hobbit must confess that I gave our heroine a medical condition which I was actually born with. The long and the short of said condition gives a biological female the larger bone structure, bone density, and muscle density of a biological male. Females with this condition usually are heavier, have broader shoulders, and have a strong tendency to possess larger muscles than females of a "normal" disposition. These females are not considered intersex or anything of that nature, as they do not carry the male chromosome. These females are less prone to bone breaks and such, but are more susceptible to hormonal disorders.

I hope that clears things up a bit for those who were curious.

Also, a big hug to all of you who have taken the time to give my little tale a read. That goes double for those who have also left a comment. Now, on with the show :-)

6

The group was split in half the morning Rick and Shane drove off with Randall, only to return with the young man still in their custody later the same evening.

Two days trudged by while Randall's ultimate fate was reconsidered too many times to count and all too often the members of Meadow's troupe found themselves on the receiving end of frayed temperaments because they refused to take part in any discussions involving the volatile situation.

Once, when Dale attempted to corner the redhead and force an answer from her, she lashed out and told him to escort the boy himself if he was so concerned then ordered him to cease with the constant harassment of her people if he did not want to forfeit his access to the wide range of necessary items her group freely provided on a daily basis. He wasn't thrilled about the ultimatum and promptly moved his RV back to Hershel's plot of land.

Grave news was issued only hours after his departure, carried to them by an anxious Glen. Randall and Shane were now missing and assumed to be together at some unknown location. Rick was pleading for everyone to aid in the search because night was swiftly approaching.

Daryl, Puck, Dawn, Matt, and Jett grudgingly volunteered their services while Meadow, Lee, Pan, and Carol would patrol the immediate area, protect the children, and use the radios to keep everyone on the same page.

"Do you believe Randall gave Shane the slip and now Shane is trying to recapture him?" Carol asked several hours after the search began.

"I think Shane set out to do the first sensible thing I've seen out of him since we came here," Lee was the first to answer, poking his head through the open window he had stopped beside, "I'd bet my left ass cheek Shane hauled that kid out into the woods somewhere and executed him before taking off to find his own way."

"No, he would have come back," the silver haired woman asserted, sounding like she was trying to reassure herself more than anyone else.

The younger man shrugged dismissively, "Would you want to come back to a situation where you had to see your former lover and her knight in shining armor husband fawn over a baby that was most likely yours? Can you imagine the pain and humiliation of being shunted off to the side like that? Or how about losing your position as top dog to your dead best friend who also happened to be the aforementioned knight in shining armor? Oh, and the same best friend who also wanted to make nice with the crazy guy who kept zombies in his barn like pets? Or what about-"

"That's enough Lee," Meadow interjected with a defeated sigh as she plodded into the room, "Take Pan and do a perimeter check. Glen just told me over the walkie that T-Dog and Andrea have returned but they hadn't found anything useful. Matt and Dawn checked in as well, same story, but Jett and Puck are late for their scheduled check in. Daryl passed by about ten minutes ago, he plans on picking up their trail and figure out what's held them up. I'm going to get some water, go pee, then I am going to do a once over of the barn and smokehouse. Carol, will you be okay here for a few minutes? I know it's not protocol to not have a partner, but wouldn't you agree this counts as an extenuating circumstance?"

"Yes," the other woman agreed and rose from her chair, "I'm going up to check on the kids and make sure they don't need anything."

"That's fine, just keep your radio on you," Meadow reminded her before grabbing a water bottle and heading back out into the gloom.

*line break*

When things started to go wrong, everything went wrong simultaneously.

First were the voices suddenly lighting up the radios, some claiming to have found an undead Randall, others cited they had spotted Shane and Rick brawling in one of Hershel's fields, and yet another sobbed that Dale had been attacked by a stray walker.

Everything was blurring together until Jett's terrified message froze her blood and drowned out everything else.

A massive herd was shambling through the forest, and it was heading directly for the farms.

The last thing she heard from him was a gunshot.

"What are we going to do?" Carol asked as they met in the front yard, her walkie talkie held in a death grip, "Rick? Shane? A herd?"

"There is no way in hell any of these fences have been reinforced enough to withstand an entire herd yet," Meadow ruefully admitted and swiveled around to peer up at the house, "If we took out the stairs and rolled some of those fifty gallon barrels against the door to the cellar, we might be able to wait them out in the short term. The surrounding buildings-and animals-will be a total loss either way, so we won't waste energy on them. The biggest problem in plannin' all this is that we don't know exactly how far away this herd is, but I"m guessing it will be on us by sunrise. Jett wouldn't have sounded so scared if it was farther away."

"That's not a lot of time," Carol surmised aloud, then jerked as the radio crackled to life once again.

"The walker who bit Dale was Shane," T-Dog informed them in a morose tone, "He and Rick were duking it out in the woods on the far side of Hershel's and shot each other during the fight. Rick's alive, but his arm's busted up. I think most everyone else made it back too."

"Are Jett and Puck with you?" Meadow asked as soon as the man paused to take a breath, "What about Daryl? Dawn or Matt?"

"I haven't seen Jett or the dog," he confessed tiredly, "Give me a minute to double check though."

Three agonizing minutes ticked by before T-Dog came back with a negative. No one had seen Jett or Puck since they entered the woods that afternoon.

Then another argument broke out on that side and Meadow could only hear bits and pieces of what was being said after that because someone kept mashing the buttons on their walkie.

"Carol, get the kids ready to bug out," the redhead finally decided after failing to get the attention of those on the other farm. "I'm gonna start loading as much food, fuel, and water as I can. Keep tryin' to restore contact with the others when you get a chance, maybe they'll have a plan put together by the time they realize they haven't heard anything from us in a while."

"You can't get through to them either, can you?" Lee met her in the driveway, his voice was calm but his eyes swam with fear and worry.

"Carol is gonna keep tryin' after she gets the kids ready to run," Meadow explained while moving along the line of vehicles, opening each trunk and rear hatch in preparation, "Keep an eye out, I'm gonna start loadin'."

"How long do we have before the herd reaches us?" he called out as she took off at a trot back toward the house.

"If we're lucky? Sunrise. If our usual luck comes into play? Less than an hour, give or take fifty minutes," she replied over her shoulder and couldn't bring herself to continue looking back at the young man who instantly turned white as a ghost.

*line break*

Meadow was forcing the Humvee's hatch shut when she heard her name erupt from the radio on her belt. The thing closed with a loud thud and she hustled to answer, "I'm here, what's going on?"

"Dead heads are pouring out of the woods behind the walker barn," T-Dog hurriedly revealed, sounding winded and slightly panicked, "There's too many for us to take on or lead away so we're getting the fuck out of here."

"Tell everyone to get over here as fast as they can, the cars are ready and waiting," she instructed as calmly as she could muster, "I'm on my way to set the livestock loose now, gotta give the zeds somethin' to chase besides us."

Within minutes of his rushed affirmation, several overburdened vehicles came skidding into the yard. There was no time to do an accurate headcount as everyone raced to fill the waiting trucks. On the peripheral, walkers were beginning to trickle into the far end of the clearing, their ravenous moans carried on the breeze.

The sand in the hourglass had run out.

Meadow couldn't distinguish how many people had made it or who was in each vehicle. All she was really aware of was Daryl's motorcycle skidding across her headlights as Sophia, Isabelle, and Jayden crammed into the Humvee. Carol's eyes were blinded by tears as she gave her daughter a final wave but didn't hesitate to take a seat behind the hunter when he called for her.

It became a blind race through the night as the terrified band of survivors did everything they could to outrun their nightmare yet again.

*line break*

"Where are we going next?" Jayden broke the silence after nearly two gut wrenching hours of panicked driving.

"We're doin' our damnedest to put enough distance between us and the herd so we can stop and regroup," his aunt rasped then quickly took a drink of water to re-hydrate her wasted throat, "There is a campground this direction, just a few miles off the main road. It was one of the rally points we chose when we were making contingency plans."

"Why haven't we heard from anyone?" Belle chimed in groggily from behind the stocky woman, "Is the radio dead?"

"I lost mine gettin' into the truck," Meadow admitted after opening her window and lighting a cigarette, "And of course there were no spares once we handed them all out to search for Shane and the kid."

"I have to pee," her niece replied after a few moments, right as the truck at the head of the line veered off onto the predicted side road.

"We're almost there sweetie," she assured the girl, diligently following the vehicle in front of them as it left the paved road, "Just try to hold it a little while longer."

A short time later, the Humvee rolled to a stop on a grassy shoulder, where others were already waiting with weapons on display. The kids were out of the car before she had even managed to cut the engine, each in search of a bush and a few seconds of privacy.

She cautiously stepped out a few seconds later, machete at the ready, and was instantly wrapped in her husband's arms. "I've got ya Mea. I've got ya."

At the sound of her name quietly sobbed into her hair, the dam inside of her broke and she gave in to her grief, clinging to him like a child.

*line break*

"We can't stay here for much longer, it's too exposed," Maggie was arguing from across the small fire that served mostly to highlight the faces of those who hadn't managed the exodus.

Jimmy. Patricia. Matt. Jett. Andrea. Puck. They were all still unaccounted for and considered lost after two full days of waiting for them to show. The already anemic buffer between the survivors and the enormous roaming herd was rapidly dwindling. They all were too aware of that fact, but they had all been too frightened and tired to move on in spite of the obvious danger.

"We don't have enough fuel stored to keep all these cars runnin' for much longer," Daryl chimed in gruffly, his tough image ruined by a dozing Belle curled into his side, "We're gonna have to make the choice of which ones to leave behind or we'll all be walking in the next two or three days."

"The Osh Kosh and the box truck are carrying the bulk of the supplies, but they also run on diesel," Rick weakly added, his continued pain blatantly evident.

"The Suburban and the Hummer are huge gas hogs and are a pain in the ass to maneuver around most of the obstacles we find in the road," Dawn reported in a deadened tone, her blonde head never once raising to look at the others. The prolonged absence of her husband was slowly sucking the life out of the once vivacious woman, "The minivan is a little easier on gas though, almost on par with the two smaller SUV's."

"What if we kept the SUV's, the Humvee, and the minivan and dumped the rest?" Glen sat forward, and looked slightly startled when everyone turned to listen, "Look, they can hold the most people and supplies out of everything we have and not use all of our fuel the first time someone presses the gas pedal. If we do this right, we could even keep the box truck for a little longer, if only to use that batch of supplies. By the time we run out of diesel, we'll have hopefully found something else to haul the remaining stuff in."

"One of the SUV's has a cargo box on the roof that we never got a chance to fill and I think we might be able to rig up something for the other cars too, considering we are at a campground," T-Dog added, latching on to the other man's train of thought, "Maybe we could look around some and try to find one of those rack things that go on the back of cars as well, to give us a little more room."

"Those don't work too well with anything that has doors on the back," Meadow countered, trying not to jostle her nephew whose head was resting on her leg, "I tried that once, before the world ended, it was a nightmare tryin' to get the hatch open cuz it kept getting stuck on my pile of stuff."

"What about a trailer then?" Beth sleepily offered from beside her stone faced father, "We could hitch it to one of the trucks and have them drive at the back so everyone else can make sure the road is cleared enough for it to pass through. If somethin' goes wrong and we can't make it work, all we have to do it unhook it and drive away."

"So we are going to look for a trailer and at least one cargo box, right?" Carol asked for clarification, "If so, can we look for another small RV while we're at it? The one we had gave us access to amenities, like its little kitchen, and extra storage the cars just don't have."

"We would have to leave at least one of the others behind in order to save gas," Rick warned, earning several nods of agreement, "Besides, we already know what we have is reliable, so do we truly want to trade one of them off and risk picking up another lemon like Dale's?"

At the mention of the dead man, all conversation petered out and people began making excuses to find a place to bed down.

After ensuring Belle and Jay were safely asleep, Meadow dug out a map to peruse and brought it over to the fire. She poured over the paper, seeking out a destination to suggest in the morning, because Maggie was right. They couldn't stay any longer, not even to wait for their missing family members. It was too great a risk.

A blanket falling over her shoulders made her head snap up, only to find her redneck taking a seat beside her. "What are ya doin' now, instead of sleepin'?"

"I'm looking for a place that will be big enough to fit everyone relatively comfortably but not take all of our ammo to clear out," she explained, gladly accepting the bent rolled smoke he held out, "Things like warehouses, sports arenas, hospitals, and production facilities -specifically those that make canned goods and shit- are an automatic pass, just like all the big box stores cuz survivors will flock to them in search of supplies.

Schools, prisons, amusement parks, government buildings, and any religious sites we find will be other no go's, simply for the amount of zeds that will be packed into those places. If you take all of that bullshit into consideration, then factor in any potential building's proximity to other questionable places, like lumber yards or gas stations, as well as their relative closeness to locations that can be raided for any supplies, it can take fuckin' forever to find anything remotely viable."

"Do you have anythin' in mind yet then?" he inquired, leaning closer to look at the map as well, "Maybe like a zoo or somethin'?"

She couldn't help the bone weary, but genuine, chuckle that escaped. Leave it to a hunter to suggest finding refuge in a zoo. When he quirked an eyebrow in response, she was quick to smooth his ruffled feathers, "A zoo would be a great place...if we could find one that wasn't smack dab in the middle of town. Honest. They have great swaths of land fenced in with concrete barriers and/or bulletproof acrylic glass, so they would be highly defensible. Unfortunately, reachin' one would be virtually impossible without a few tanks, maybe some armored cars, and a shit ton of ammunition."

Comprehension sprang into the redneck's eyes and he gave her a slow nod, "Alright I get that. So what about one of those crazy survivalist, doomsday prepper houses? My brother would sometimes watch those shows on tv where people was buildin' all this elaborate shit on their properties in preparation for the end of the world. Ain't there whole communities like that floatin' around?"

"That's one option I've been hopin' to find, but most of our maps are topographic or only show roadways. I was lookin' through a phone book before, scopin' out businesses in the area, cuz sometimes you can tell what kind of town you're dealin' with just by the stores listed in the yellow pages," she sighed and took a drag from her cancer stick.

"How accurate is this deducin' of yours?" he seemed genuinely curious and gave the map a second look.

She gave a tired shrug, "I dunno. Haven't tried it this way before, so I'm literally figurin' shit out as I go. All I know for sure is that I can't just sit around with my thumb up my ass and do nothin' but bitch and moan about how bad shit is right now. And while I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, I still gotta do whatever I can to get our people somewhere that is as safe as I can make it."

"We," he corrected, tossing away his own cigarette in order to pull her close, "This is on all of us Mea, not just you, even if people sometimes forget that. We all hafta do our part if we wanna keep livin' cuz none of us will make it very far on our own."

Instead of arguing, she chose to snuggle deeper into his warm, safe embrace.

*line break*

"We need to find one of those hardcore hunting lodges," Lee grumbled from his makeshift bed in front of the decorative fireplace, "The dad of one of my buddies took a big group of us to one of them up in Oregon when my brother and I were about twelve. The place had all that weird geothermal stuff, solar panels, its own wind turbine, and two clean wells. It was completely self sufficient. We stayed there for an entire week, living off the grid, and it was pretty awesome."

"Next stop, Oregon," Glen quipped from beside a drowsing Maggie, then looked to the stocky woman, "Do you think we've got enough gas to make it? Or should we top off at the station, maybe get some snacks, before we head out?"

"I'm not sure," Meadow replied with an indulgent chuckle, "How many of those beans did you have?"

"Not as many as your old man," he laughed, then sobered and looked around the room, "Where is he anyways?"

"He took Pan, Carl, and Jayden out to set some snares before it got too dark out," she explained, eyes fighting to stay open now that she had something more substantial than a handful of raw green beans in her stomach, "Dawn and Carol took the girls to rummage through the house right behind us. T-Dog is out in the garage filling water jugs. Hershel's upstairs with Lori. Beth and Rick are on watch."

She couldn't keep track of what was said next as her exhaustion swept her away. She did briefly stir though, when Daryl laid beside her, his warm body a solid wall between her and the rest of the world.

*line break*

"Aunt Mea, we gotta go," Belle urgently whispered with a shake of her aunt's shoulder, "Walkers are comin' this way."

"How many?" was the automatic question, already lurching to her feet and drawing her machete.

"Dawn said about forty," the girl revealed, handing the older woman her bag, "You're on the bike with Uncle Daryl because he said you actually know how to use his crossbow."

"Alright," she conceded, hefting the pack onto her shoulder whilst taking a moment to observe the others making preparations, "Where's your brother?"

"With T and Dawn," was the reply just as the signal to bolt was given.

Things swiftly became a blur as the survivors dashed out into the pre-dawn gloom. Since everyone was aware that their firearms were a last resort, the trio of shots that suddenly rang out just as the Daryl's bike hit pavement jarred the redhead. Meadow couldn't banish the dread flooding her psyche from that moment onward. She checked her radio as often as possible, but the device hadn't been able to charge enough in the two hours of daylight they'd had the day before while making camp, and all too soon she was forced to cease her manic scanning when it suddenly died on her.

"My battery is dead!" she eventually yelled over the low roar caused by the combined sounds of both the wind and the motorbike, "Where did you put yours?"

"Left jacket pocket!" he called back and allowed her to retrieve the item before she resumed huddling against his spine.

When she finally heard something that wasn't complete gibberish being warbled over the airwaves, she jumped at the chance, "Rick? T-Dog? Carol? Who fired those shots earlier? Did we lose anyone? Are the kids okay?"

"I don't know who discharged their weapon, not everyone managed to keep hold of their walkies," Rick's strained voice responded, "But Belle is right here with us and I saw Dawn putting Jayden in her truck as we pulled out."

"Thank you," she said, less anxious now that she knew the approximate whereabouts of her niece and nephew, "Do you have any clue where we are stoppin'?"

"There was that little store we passed coming into the area, we ought to try that until we can find something better," the former lawman decided after a long minute, "By the time we reach it, we should have some daylight. When we arrive, we can park around the back and take a few minutes to regroup before checking it out."

She relayed it all to Daryl, who grunted in acknowledgment and urged the bike faster.

Twenty bone jarring minutes later, the entourage was parked in the rear lot of the mom and pop store.

A teary eyed Belle leaped on her aunt immediately, but Daryl and Jayden were absent for some time before the hunter led the boy over.

"Dawn got bit tryin' to get in the truck," her husband revealed when the boy opted to bury his face in the man's side rather than speak, "She's also the one who fired those shots. She did it to draw the walkers so everyone else could get away. T ended up drivin' her truck."

"Shit," was all the woman could say, pulling her niece closer to keep herself grounded, "Was she the-did everyone else make it?"

"Yeah, although Hershel's gonna be changin' his shorts the first chance he gets," Daryl shot her a half smirk even as he rubbed Jayden's back, "He had a walker damn near bite through his boot when he was gettin' into the van. Saw the bite marks myself."

"Daryl, T-Dog, Glen," Rick interrupted, moving their way as he finished checking his revolver, "We're going to clear out the store, so make sure your flashlights are in working order. Everyone else is going to keep an eye out for trouble while they wait for our signal."

"Kids, grab the mutt and get in the van," Meadow instructed as soon as the men entered the building, "You need to stay loaded and ready to go in case this goes south."

"You can't tell my child-" she heard from behind her.

"Please shut up Lori," Meadow countered before the other woman could fully launch into another counterproductive tirade, "Keepin' the munchkins safe is paramount over anything else. And to keep them safe, they can't be out wanderin' around, especially if another herd shows."

The frail woman changed tactics, "I'll drive then."

"You drive like a toddler drunk on Redbull and pixie sticks," Lee groused from his spot on top of the Humvee, "I wouldn't trust you to drive a toy truck."

"Maggie stays with the kids. Lori, I need you to stick with Hershel and Beth," Meadow commanded after a moment of thought, "If it becomes necessary, Lee will drive the Humvee while Carol and I will take that SUV."

"Who put you in charge?" Lori spoke up again, emboldened for some unseen reason, "Did my husband leave you in charge?"

"I'm not arguing with you about this right now," the redhead steeled her resolve to keep the peace, "We have more important things to worry about than identifying the pecking order of some imaginary hierarchy. If you want though, we can have ourselves a grand ole' pissing contest later, _after_ we have secured a safe space for the night. How does that sound?"

Lori spun on her heel with a scoff and stalked over to the minivan.

A little while later Glen emerged from the back door and waved them all inside.

Together, everyone made quick work of the corpses that had been stinking up the place, then moved on to blocking the windows with all of the racks of shelving they could deconstruct. Once that was finished, some of the group broke off to sort through the piles of stuff that was strewn about whilst others attempted to cobble together a meal.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Rick asked out of nowhere while she was coiling a length of rope.

"Sure," she conceded and followed him out to the back lot, "What's up?"

"I heard that you and Lori had another altercation," he stated without preamble, "Would you like to tell me your side of the story?"

"Not really, but since you asked so nicely," she leaned against the rear end of the minivan and blew out a sigh, "I gave the order for the kids to sit tight in the minivan in case we had to leave in a hurry. Lori wanted to bitch at me over tellin' Carl what to do. I told her to shut up and reminded her that the kids were the priority. She said she wanted to drive the kids, I told her Maggie would drive the kids and she would drive with Hershel. I then gave everyone a car assignment. That's when she started flappin' her gums and asked if you left me in charge. I told her I didn't want to argue about some stupid pecking order, but we could hash it out later, after everyone was safe. She got pissed and stormed off. If you need proof, Maggie, Hershel, Lee, and Beth were all there, and so were the kids."

He scratched his beard thoughtfully for a few seconds, then nodded in understanding, "Alright, I see what you were doin' and I appreciate it. But you can't keep butting heads with her like this. She just spent the last fifteen minutes trying to convince me to make you leave."

"That's fine Rick, I'll go," she replied calmly, not missing a beat, "But please be aware that when my people and I leave your company, we will be takin' all of the supplies my people gathered along for the trip. I mean, since you're so certain you no longer need us, you obviously don't need our supplies either.

Oh, and you ought to be aware of how Daryl will react when his wife, niece, and nephew are forced to leave. Does she-or you, for that matter-honestly believe he will stay? Let that stew for a bit and move on to Carol and Sophia. They practically moved in with us the day we met, so they will probably come along as well. And then we have T-Dog. He can't stand Lori and her constant shit stirring, which I have heard him bitch to you about on multiple occasions, so there's another one for my group. Now who does that leave you, Officer Friendly? A delusional old man, two young women who can barely function away from their farm, your banshee of a wife, your little boy, and a well meaning-but clueless-pizza delivery guy. How safe does that make you feel right about now?"

"I-umm," he stammered, blanching as her harsh assessment of the situation sunk in. She lit a hand rolled smoke and took a drag from it whilst he gathered his thoughts. A minute later he spoke up, "I honestly don't know what to say to any of that. Would you really take things that far?"

"To protect me and mine? In a fuckin' heartbeat," she felt no remorse when he paled further, "So how about this. Tell that harpy to keep her fuckin' mouth shut so we can pretend none of this horseshit went down and everybody goes back to playin' happy little family. And you will get her to agree, Rick, because if y'all don't, I promise you I will do exactly what I just said."

Without another word, Meadow moved around him and went back inside.


	7. Chapter 7

7

"The entire place has a wall running around it," Lee was explaining between sips of the hot soup Carol had forced on him upon arrival, "I spent most of the night checking it for breaks or openings. It is, as far as I can tell, completely intact."

"What about the buildings inside the perimeter?" Rick pressed, doing his best not to sound too eager at the prospect of having a safe place to pass the winter in, "What condition are they in? Did any of them look inhabited?"

"I saw a couple of dead heads stumbling around inside of the main house. Two were in the big ass garage, and one was up on the second story balcony, but I put all three down already," the younger man reported, then smiled up at Beth when she draped a blanket over him, "Thanks. Umm, there were at least two storage sheds-both locked, so we're going to have to find keys for them-and some kind of guest house that appeared to be about half burned. I didn't find anyone living though."

"Good job," Meadow gave him a pat on the back then raised out of her crouch, "Get warm and crash out for a bit, you've more than earned a break."

She was barely able to smother a grin as Beth swooped in to fuss over the young man whilst she followed Rick into the kitchen where they found Daryl ready and waiting.

"When are we goin' in?" her husband asked, passing her a cup of steaming broth, "Or are we gonna keep lookin' for somethin' else?"

"We've been on the move as a constant for over a month," Rick stated after retrieving his own mug and filling it from the still warm pot, "We can't keep this pace up much longer. We're all exhausted and it's getting colder every day."

"This is the best option we've found so far," the stocky woman chimed in, pausing briefly to softly sigh as the warm liquid reached her stomach, "It's protected fairly well, and it's far enough away from the main roads that it won't garner too much attention from passersby. The windows and roof all seem intact, it has a water supply available less than a half mile away, and also has some room inside of the walls to plant things if we are still here come spring. Oh, and said water supply just happens to be fed by a small lake which Daryl saw fish swimming in, so we're not stuck solely eating rodents for dinner."

The former lawman shifted to peer at her, then her husband, who just shrugged, "Like she said. Besides there's plenty of shit here to fortify the ground floor with and somethin' like six fireplaces-if I counted the chimneys right- to keep everybody warm. Plenty of wood already stacked around the back too, so we won't freeze our asses off for at least a month or two."

"Alright, we need to get groups set up to start clearing it out. I'm hopin' we can get the big issues out of the way today," Rick stated and the couple nodded their agreement, "Getting the cars moved inside the walls will take priority as soon as we get there in case something goes wrong. After that, we should have a good seven hours to get everything sorted."

"We can let Lee sleep while those who aren't goin' pack everything up for transport," Meadow added after a moment, "He needs the break after bein' on the go for over a day. Honestly, Daryl could use a breather as well, with as much runnin' as he's been doin' between huntin' and scoutin' out places."

"I'm alright Mea," the hunter rolled his eyes then chugged the rest of his breakfast and handed her the cup, "Besides, if I go with 'em now, I can score us one of the good rooms to crash in before they're all snatched up."

She shook her head at his reasoning as she stretched up for a kiss, "See if you can get one that has access to the balcony Lee was yappin' about. Are you takin' Jay with you to help?"

I was thinkin' about it. He's been gettin' restless again," Daryl admitted, hefting his crossbow onto his shoulder, "It don't hurt that he's good at spottin' the little shit I miss sometimes. And he listens when I tell him to do somethin'."

"Alright, be careful. Make sure he has his gloves, I don't wanna be pickin' splinters out of his hands again," she ordered then couldn't resist one last kiss, "I love you Dixon."

"Love you too Dixon," he whispered against her lips before pulling away and letting out an ear splitting whistle, "Jay! Get your gear and let's go! Daylight's wastin' and we got shit to do!"

All too soon Rick, Daryl, Maggie, Jayden, and Carl headed out, leaving the rest to load up their precious cache of supplies.

*line break*

"Aunt Mea, this is beautiful!" Isabelle gushed upon seeing the picturesque plantation style mansion. According to Maggie, some literature she found had explained how the historic building was turned into a bed and breakfast sometimes during the 1950's, "It's like something out of a movie!"

"I know!" Sophia squeaked from her friend's side, dropping the other girls hand to caress the carved railing attached to the front stairs.

"Holy shit," Meadow gasped from behind the pair when she spied the three functioning wind turbines located at the far end of the yard, "Does this place actually have power?"

"Some of the rooms electrics are dead, but we might be able to fix 'em if we find the right stuff," her freshly bathed husband appeared on the porch, wearing a clean pair of jeans and a dark gray thermal henley. She launched herself at him with a laugh, trusting him to catch her. He held her for a long minute, after swatting her hand away from the beanie covering his hair, and gazed down into her vivid green orbs, "So, do you think you could deal with bunkin' here for awhile?"

"Absofuckinlutely," she chuckled, the strain of the last several weeks draining away like poison lanced from a wound, "We might even be able to make this work after Lori pops out the happy meal."

"Speakin' of, I made sure to pick a room on the opposite side of the house from them," he told her while leading her inside behind the still squealing girls, "I didn't think you'd want to deal with her and a squallin' kid any more than I did. It ain't got a door out to the balcony though, like you wanted. Is that okay?"

"The farther I am from her, the happier we'll all be," she replied, more than willing to sacrifice something so trivial in order to keep the peace, "I don't need a damn balcony to be happy anyhow, just an hour in a room with a locking door."

A grin spread across his features as he caught the inference and threaded his fingers through hers, "Still, if it helps, we ain't gotta share a bathroom with anyone."

"More than helps," her grin broadened and allowed the hunter to tug her up to the next level.

For the first time in years, she would have almost complete privacy with her husband, and just the thought of it was making her giddy. She peeked at him as he pulled her along but he caught the look she was giving him and his eyes darkened in response. Oh yes, her redneck was definitely having similar thoughts.

"I can't wait to get clean," she commented offhand, trying to provoke a response, "I swear I've forgotten what it feels like."

Daryl grunted and opened a door, then swiftly scooped her up in his arms. She yelped in surprise and flung her arms around his neck, "What the hell babe?"

"Ain't it a tradition for the groom to carry his wife over the threshold when they enter their home for the first time?" he queried, already smirking at her antics, "I'm just tryin' to do right by you the best way I can. Lemme do this one thing for you, please darlin'."

She instantly ceased her squirming. Blue eyes locked onto green and did not deviate as they passed into the room. He didn't stop there though. He carried her all the way into the attached lavatory, then gave her a long kiss before gently setting her on her feet.

"I grabbed you some of that girly soap and stuff to wash with cuz I know you like the shit, even if you will never admit it," he chuckled at her scowl but continued, "We've got plenty of hot water right now, so take your time and enjoy it. I'll go find you somethin' clean to put on when you're done, then I'll check to make sure the kids have their rooms picked out so you can relax and not worry about their goofy shit for a bit."

"Thank you," she stretched up and gave him a kiss laden with gratitude.

"Nobody is ever gonna say I don't take care of my woman," he declared with his true, shy smile shining just for her before retreating from the room and closing the door behind him.

Now fully alone, Meadow peeled off her filthy, threadbare garments and climbed straight into the waiting shower. She sighed happily as the scalding water thrummed against her sore muscles. It took some time for her to work up the gumption to reach for the soap and finally scrub every inch of her body, twice, before reaching for the razor her husband had been thoughtful enough to leave her.

Once satisfied with the results, she wrapped her now almost waist length hair up in the first fluffy towel, then grabbed a second as she swiveled around to face the dreaded mirror taunting her from the corner.

She was taken aback to physically see just how much weight she had shed since the apocalypse began. Her pale epidermis was marred with too many scars and fading bruises, the flesh almost translucent in places where it was now stretched over her too large bone structure. Her tattoos, typically hidden by several layers of clothing, stood out in stark contrast against the yellow, green, and violet bruises dotting her skin, making her body resemble a macabre piece of art. The worst imperfection that caught her attention though wasn't the bruises, inkwork, or even the scar on her face. No. It was the mish-mash of faded pink and puckered lines working their way across her alarmingly smaller abdomen and crawling up her ribcage. More gifts bestowed upon her by her father. Thankfully Daryl was the only person, aside from her doctors, who had even seen the complete ruin her body was.

"You alright darlin'?" her husband's murmured inquiry from the bedroom vaulted her away from her darkening thoughts, "Annie Oakley and Carol picked out some clean clothes cuz I couldn't figure out what the hell you'd want. Is that okay?"

"It's fine," she hastily replied as she unlocked the door and pulled it wide enough to accept the proffered items, "Thanks babe."

"Welcome," he threw over his shoulder, refusing to intrude on her privacy even though she had left the door ajar, "Do they fit?"

The long sleeved t-shirt was big enough for the hunter to wear and the cargo pants had swallowed her feet to her toes, but the undergarments had fit damn near perfectly.

"They're great," she smiled, tapping his shoulder to get his attention to view her attire for himself, "See?"

He nodded then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "They gave me an entire pile of stuff for you. Even got a couple sets of those fuzzy socks you like and a pair of slippers, if you want 'em. Whenever you're ready, we'll head down to help with dinner so someone else can get washed up."

"Okay," it sounded more than fair. Then a thought occurred to her, "Was there anything left in the kitchen that's actually edible?"

He nodded then brushed his growing hair away from his eyes, "In the pantries and freezers. Carol was even chatterin' about vegetable soup and some kinda rolls when I first went down, so I guess that's what we're cookin'. You up for that?"

"Yeah, I think we can handle some bread and soup without burnin' the place down around our ears," she smiled and leaned up for a kiss before waving him onward, "So did Jay and Belle pick rooms yet?"

"Jay and Carl picked one of the rooms on the top floor, just like you taught them," his gaze full of pride as they padded down the hallway, "So of course Sophia and Belle had to take the room directly across the hall from 'em. I guess Carol picked a room up there too, so there's always an adult close by. Chinaman and his girl are down on the opposite end of our hall, but I dunno about much else."

"Hershel will probably stick close to Lori and Rick while Beth will choose a room next to wherever Lee ends up," Meadow surmised after the pair descended the stairs to the main level, "And poor T will want to stay as far away from any couples as possible."

"I can't imagine why," he not so innocently remarked as they entered the professionally equipped kitchen where they found Maggie and Glen juggling trays of freshly baked dinner rolls and overseeing the pots of simmering soup.

"Thank god you're finally here," Maggie sighed in relief as she rounded the island counter, "I can't wait to get a hot shower and put somethin' on that ain't held together by sweat, dirt, and blood."

The glean in her boyfriend's eyes betrayed his true intentions, but nodded in agreement with her proclamation, "There isn't much left to do but keep an eye on the last tray of bread and stir the soup every so often so it doesn't scorch. There's some juice and fresh made coffee over there, so help yourselves."

Daryl immediately lunged for the cabinets and dug out the biggest cup he could scrounge, then made a beeline for the carafe of java sitting on the counter. He looked like a kid in a candy store, expression one of pure rapture as he took his first drink of the bitter brew.

"Should I give the two of you a few minutes alone?" the stocky woman teased while retrieving enough bowls from the cupboard to feed their troupe. His azure orbs tracked her through the space, mug never leaving his lips. Eventually she couldn't hold in another bout of laughter whilst rinsing the dishes.

"Shuddup woman," he grumbled and grudgingly parted with his precious coffee to remove the tray of bread and place the rolls on the cooling rack she gestured to, "I've seen you act the same way over a case of Redbull."

"Which I shared with you," she retaliated, still grinning as she moved to pour herself a more reasonable sized mug of java, "The same Redbull you turned around and ruined with Crown Royal."

"Didn't hear no complaints from you at the time," he returned fire with a smirk of his own and folded his arms over his chest, "And if I remember correctly, that was the first night you ever had anyone go down-"

"Oh my gods! Food!" Jayden yowled as he and Carl entered the room, each scrubbed pink and donning actual pajamas, "Is that bread? Holy crap, it is bread!"

"Easy there kiddo," his aunt swiftly slid to bar the two ravenous boys from attacking the still cooking food, "We're just waitin' on everyone to finish getting cleaned up, then we're all gonna sit down together and eat. Come on kiddo, how long has it been since any of us got to sit down to dinner like a family? Just give 'em a few more minutes to get down here before you start chompin' on the counters and shit."

"Alright," he conceded, then asked for a glass of juice before he and Carl ran off to get the girls "butts in gear."

*line break*

"There's an old style water pump in the far shed," Glen triumphantly announced as he, Carl, Jayden, and T-Dog jointly flopped down on the stairs of the back porch, "And it still works. Kind of. It needs a new handle for it to be used properly, but at least we don't have to make a thousand trips a day out to the creek. Or the lake."

"Until we have built up a healthy reserve of potable water, I wouldn't hedge any bets on that," Meadow replied while patiently untangling the line of nylon twine that had been scavenged earlier in the day. It was eventually destined to become another stretch of clothesline, if she could ever get it unsnarled from itself, "Rick, Lee, and Daryl are out looking for plastic drums and water buffaloes for just that purpose. Mind you, we are also gonna need a shitload of firewood to boil every drop of water hauled in because we can't chance usin' up all the natural gas for the stoves."

"Ten out of twelve of the fireplaces work, so they are going to need wood as well," Carol interjected, a tray of steaming mugs held in her hands, "We haven't tested the boilers yet, so we have to be prepared in case the heating is broken beyond repair."

"We saw a few chainsa-," Carl rushed to reveal but Meadow cut him off, "No chainsaws kiddo. The sounds they make would be worse than firing a gun, and you already know how walkers respond to gunfire. I'm sorry to say it, but collecting firewood will have to be done the old fashioned way. With handsaws, wedges, and axes."

"How do you even know that?" the boy inquired, slightly unsure of her declaration, "More of those DIY books?"

"No, this time it's personal experience. The house my brother and I grew up in only had a big ole' wood furnace to keep us warm in the winter," she corrected, not unkindly, as she finally pulled the last knot in the twine free, "Mason and I helped chop wood every weekend from the time school started until school got out for the summer. The gas powered log splitter we had was broke down more often than it ran, so we got real used to doin' the wood by hand. Now, who wants to help me string this up?"

Of course the gaggle of males had a million other very important things to do that very minute, leaving Carol and Meadow to work the line themselves. By the time they were satisfied with its placement among the web of other lines, Beth, Maggie, and Belle were hauling baskets of wet laundry out on small carts.

"Another one of the little washers seized up and we had to unplug it," the eldest Greene sister informed them as everyone began hanging their sodden bounty, "I'm kinda glad we decided not to toss those washboards, because we might be needin' them before long, if this keeps up."

"I wish we could find another one of those manual wringer washers we found in that junk shop," Carol said a tad wistfully whilst tacking up socks, "I never thought there would come a day when I'd miss that stupid thing. I pinched my fingers so many times….."

Everyone chuckled at her words because they had all been unwilling victims to the dreaded contraption at least once during their stay on the farms.

"Maybe we'll come across another one like it on one of our shopping trips," Meadow chimed in, nudging Belle with her shoulder, "Do you remember the shop we found it in?"

"It was the place full of cats," the girl grimaced, trying to resist a full body shudder, "It smelled so gross that Jett and Lee ran outside, claiming they needed to stand guard while we searched the place. They didn't know we could hear them whining and barfing through the one broken window."

Another round of laughter warmed the air around them but trailed off as the radio on the table came to life.

"They're back," Lori's relieved voice informed them, "It looks like they have brought back a fairly decent haul this time."

It didn't matter that the group of raiders had only been gone since just before dawn, everyone still leaped to their feet and rushed around to the front of the house so they could greet the incoming truck, which now boasted a utility trailer that trailed behind it, piled high with pilfered goodies .

The three men, amused by their antics, made a show of exiting the SUV then bowed as a round of applause erupted.

"How in the hell did you manage to find all of this shit so fast?" the redhead couldn't help but inquire as her redneck come to a stop in front of her, his rare, shy smile on full display for her to see.

"We found one of those thrift stores you're so fond of," he confessed after bowing his head to accept a kiss, "With all this, we shouldn't have to go out for a few days now, except maybe to hunt for fresh meat. When I do that, Imma take Jay with me, he's still pretty fuckin' restless."

"That will definitely make him happy," she gave in to her urges and wrapped both arms around his waist, "I think he's gettin' tired of Glen's happy ass hoppin' around like a beagle on crack. I caught him eyeballing a hammer earlier while Glen was yammerin' on about hauling everything out of the sheds to be sorted after Hershel said that he possibly saw some old hand crank tools hangin' on the back wall of one of 'em."

"He's still tryin' to impress the old coot," the hunter mused, his tone thick with both annoyance and amusement, "Damn Chinaman still tryin' to win over Annie Oakley's daddy."

"You and those damn nicknames," she groused despite the slight smile still teasing at her mouth, then changed the subject, "So are you gonna start showin' me what my big, strong manly man has brought back to our cave, or am I gonna have to start guessin' what has you so damn smug right now?"

"I oughta make you guess," he quipped before trudging over to the trailer and hefting out a blue tote which had her name scribbled across the lid in what looked like sidewalk chalk, "This one is just for you. Not the kids, not the other women. Not nobody, so don't open it till we get it up to our room."

She accepted the plastic box when he shifted it into her arms, "Damn Daryl, this thing is heavy. Did you finally find the perfect bricks to drown me with?"

"Yeah darlin', I'm gonna tie 'em all to your legs while you sleep and throw you into the lake after everyone else goes to bed," he snorted, a mischievous glean entering his azure gaze, "You need me to carry it for you?"

"I've got it. I think. It might take me a while to get where I'm goin' though," she admitted begrudgingly as she started off toward the mansion.

"I got it," her spouse told her quietly as he relieved it from her, then nodded toward a pile of bulging laundry bags, "Grab them instead. I got some more winter clothes and stuff for the monsters. Found some for us too, but our shit is in the truck. I'll get it later."

With that, he stalked off, leaving her to ignore the group who was doing a truly terrible job at covering their smiles.

She did roll her eyes at them after collecting the bags and turning back to the house, muttering to herself all the while, "Bunch of fuckin' vultures, actin' like y'all have never seen a husband and wife interact without screamin' their heads off or tryin' to kill each other before."

"How can two of the meanest, scariest people I've ever seen be so cute when they're together?" Belle impishly grinned, bright eyes tracking the woman as she stalked into the house after her spouse.

*line break*

"Damn, you really outdid yourself on this one babe," Meadow said approvingly, her green gaze flitting over the piles strewn on the floor around her, "Boots, jackets, hats, thermals. We'll definitely stay warm this winter."

"I thought that was the point of stockpiling this shit," he muttered whilst donning a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, "Did you check out the other shit I brought up yet? Not the box, the other ones."

"I was just gettin' to them," she reposted then heaved herself up and over a mound of clothing to snag the two large backpacks, and promptly groaned in surprise because they were much heavier than they appeared, "More bricks? You shouldn't have."

"Fuckin' open 'em and find out already Mea," he grunted, shoulder deep in a duffel bag and ears turning scarlet. A moment later he retracted the appendage, a carton of smokes in hand, "It's just some shit I saw that I thought you'd appreciate me bein' discreet about."

As she unzipped the first bag, he handed her a lit cigarette, then gasped when she found the bag stuffed to the brim with scented soaps, lotions, luxury shampoos, and the like. Without a word she reached for the second bag. The contents it held were just as frivolous and wonderful. Nail lacquers, buffers, files, and nail polish remover were in the majority, but there was also a fair sized satin pouch wedged against the bottom. Carefully she freed it from the larger bag and tears filled her eyes as the zipper drew back to reveal what was inside. Scraps of silk and lace filled the space to near bursting, all of them in a multitude of colors she loved.

"Do you like them?" Daryl softly investigated, kneeling beside her once she had pulled out a few pieces to gawk at, "I saw a bunch of stuff in one of the places we scoped out and wanted to get you somethin' nice to wear for once, even if it was just in our room. I didn't know what all you'd like, but I remembered you tellin' me once that you preferred silk over that more kinky shi-"

She put a stop to his bout of verbal diarrhea with a grateful kiss, "They're beautiful Dar, I love them. I promise."

"I-good," he gave a swift nod, then caught her gaze, "That stuff is just for you, whenever you want to use it. There's plenty of shit to go around for everyone else, so don't think you'll be deprivin' someone if you keep it. I know that bullshit started creepin' into your brain the second you opened that first bag, cuz you always think you don't deserve to have anythin' nice no matter how many times I tell you different. Now tell me I'm wrong."

"I—you," she sighed in defeat and took a drag from her cancer stick before continuing, "Thank you."

"Thank me by wearin' that pretty blue one for me tonight," he countered and kissed her before getting to his feet and moving toward the door, "Lee's got another surprise waitin' for everyone, so come down when you're ready."

He's gone before she could inquire as to what the surprise entailed, leaving her to compile the next load of laundry to be washed, one that included the blue nightgown he had pointed out.

*line break*

"Aren't they adorable?" Sophia cooed from beside Isabelle as the quartet of kids peered down into the open tote.

Meadow padded over and finally caught a glimpse of what had enraptured the four children. A young calico cat lay nursing three small kittens inside of the rag lined box. She didn't seem to mind having an audience either, leading the stout woman to believe the cat must have once been on friendly terms with humans. With a chuckle she gestured toward the felines, "Was this Lee's big surprise?"

"Yeah. He said he found them in the bathroom of the thrift store," Carl explained, his eyes never wavering from the little family, "Hershel said they will be good for keeping rodents out of our supplies."

"He's absolutely right," the redhead confirmed, patting the boy on one slim shoulder, "She's no doubt a smart girl, to have survived this long, which means she knows what it takes to keep them all fed and alive. Hopefully she will raise her little ones to be the same."

As she left them to continue their worship, they began discussing names for the diminutive balls of fluff. Part of her wanted to warn them against developing any kind of attachment to the babies, but she couldn't bring herself to burst their bubble of happiness. Instead she moved to the rear of the structure, where the laundry was located. Others were similarly gathering in order to take care of the latest influx of goods.

"The guys did a great job," Beth chirped, merrily smiling as she rounded the stocky woman, a basket of wet fabric in her arms, "They found a lot of jeans and sweatshirts and the like, so we won't have to worry about our stuff fallin' apart after a couple of washings."

"Lori isn't too happy though," Maggie interjected with a roll of her eyes. Of course no one was surprised to learn the frail brunette was displeased over something. It was her default setting nowadays. "The closest thing to maternity clothes they brought back were some of those old lady housecoats and a handful of shirts that are too large for even T to wear. She was yellin' at Rick to go back out tomorrow and find better stuff, last I heard."

"We'll just drop her off at the next Macy's we find, that way she can pick out her own shit," Meadow deadpanned whilst loading one of the still functioning commercial sized washers, "How much strain are these big ones puttin' on the water pump? Should I divide this up into the smaller washers?"

"As long as we only run two of the big machines at a time, it should be fine," the eldest Greene girl answered, hefting her own basket, "Carol is settin' up another area where we can wash all the smaller stuff by hand with the washboards so we can avoid unnecessary strain."

With a nod, she poured the liquid detergent into correct dispenser, then frowned at the nearly empty bottle, "Gonna have to put detergent and dish soap on the list for the next trip cuz we're going through this shit like crazy."

"You and your damn lists," Maggie grinned over her shoulder as she left the room, "I'd complain more about them if they didn't help so much."

A few minutes later Rick found her loading a second washer, a stack of notebooks in his grip, "I found these while we were out. Lee said they were on your list of mandatory items?"

"Affirmative Officer," she closed the lid and accepted the objects with a smile, "We need to take an inventory of everything we have as well as keep track of what we're usin'. These things have come in handy ever since my laptop crapped out on me last week."

Shaking his head, he let out a muted chuckle before he sobered and dropped his hands to his hips, "There are still a lot of things we need to acquire. I figure we give the walkers a day or so to settle down before we go back and try to collect as much as we can. I don't want to risk another group coming through and clearin' everything out before we have everything we need."

"And you want to placate Lori," Meadow flashed another grin, but this one was razor sharp, "I heard she wasn't thrilled with this haul and has been quite vocal about it."

"She's-" the former deputy flushed as he tried to find the words, "Lori's been having a lot of trouble adjustin' and being pregnant has made her-"

"A royal bitch?" the redhead offered, earning herself a laugh that was badly disguised as a cough, "I'm sorry to say this Rick, but we're all havin' a hard time "adjusting". It doesn't give anyone -includin' her- the right to act like a spoiled brat, or risk people's lives, every time somethin' doesn't work out in her favor. She expects to be everyone's top priority and demands that her needs supersede the group's, but refuses to return the favor in any capacity, for any reason."

"You don't understand," he started to argue but cut himself off when she fixed him with a dead eyed glare.

"You're right, I don't understand what's goin' on in her head. But I do understand that it is us always goin' out there, riskin' our lives, caterin' to her whims," she snarled, not caring who heard her tirade as it increased in volume, "She is constantly beggin' off her assigned chores, sayin' she has to take a break and lay down because the baby's makin' her sick. She won't help clean anythin' because it "puts too much strain on her". She refuses to help cook, again sayin' that the smell makes her sick. She promised to help Carol give the kids their lessons, then only showed up the one fuckin' time before complainin' that all the readin' was givin' her a migraine. Shit, the only time she ever shows for her assigned watch duty is when you or Carl are on the roster for a raid, then abandons her post the minute you're home. But she sure as shit is never late for meals, a hot bath, or whenever it's time to divvy up shit from a raid."

The man just gaped at her, unable to formulate any words that could smooth over this massive clusterfuck. "Meadow, you just have to be-"

"I'm tired of her shit Rick, and I'm done bein' patient about it. She has done not one single productive thing since we left the farms," the stocky woman barreled over his words with a growl, "So she either chooses to start helpin' around here or I'm gonna drag her along to every assigned job by her fuckin' hair until she learns to pull her own weight. She is not better than any of the rest of the people livin' here and I personally think she needs a reminder of that."

"And who suddenly put you in charge?" he demanded as his stoic mask began to fray.

"It don't matter who's in charge Officer," she laughed, but there was no humor in her tone, "I'm tellin' you what I'm gonna do if she continues actin' like she's the fuckin' queen and the rest of us are just a bunch of fuckin' peons whose sole purpose in this livin' hell is to be bossed around by her scrawny ass."

"You would harm a pregnant woman?" his eyes grew to comic proportions.

"I ain't sure she's actually knocked up at this point," Meadow huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "She could be sayin' it to stir up more drama, and to get out of doin' her share of the work. I mean how many lies have you caught her in? Like maybe how long she was beddin' your best friend? Or how about the shit she demands when we go out, claimin' whatever bullshit she wants is vital to her stayin' alive? With shit goin' on like that, you cannot seriously tell me you trust a damn that comes out of her damn mouth."

"That is none of your business," he hissed, finally finding his voice as he reached back to close the door, "You have no right to talk about things that don't concern you."

"How can that shit not concern me when she's throwin' it in everyone's faces every fuckin' chance she gets? She makes it our business Rick! Especially when she continuously does shit like abandon her duties or manipulate people into goin' out with the dead cannibals to fetch whatever she's got a hard on for that day! For fuck's sake, she's even made Carl's livelihood our business because she can't be bothered to make sure he's clean, been fed, or ensure he hasn't went on a playdate outside the fuckin' walls! Dammit, she won't even do her own laundry now! You want proof? Go ask Beth if I'm lyin', because I guarantee you that the clothes that girl is hangin' up as we speak belong to your useless fuckin' wife."

"Does everyone feel this way?"

She snorted out another venom soaked chuckle, "You know better than to ask me to speak for other people unless they have given me explicit permission to do so. What I've said here has been my own thoughts, experiences, and observations and you damn well know that. If you want to know what everyone else thinks, you'd better stop bein' afraid of what you might end up hearin' and go ask 'em."

He is utterly silent as she moved around him and left the room.


	8. Chapter 8

8

"So what did you and Rick have a chat about?" Daryl quietly quizzed after taking a seat beside her, "Since I know it wasn't cookin' recipes."

Even though the couple was currently sitting outside on the main porch, the former lawman and his banshee of a wife could be heard having a screaming match in their room on the second level. The verbal brawl had been playing itself out for almost two solid hours, ever since the typically calm Rick had caught his wife reading in her room instead of helping Carol with the kids lessons and flipped his shit.

The redhead snuggled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her, "I informed him of how Lori's been shirkin' her assigned duties, even told him to go ask Beth whose clothes she was hangin' up at the time. Informed him about how she can't be bothered to care for her kid as well. Next I brought up how I think this whole pregnancy thing might be a ruse to get outta working too. I then said I was tired of her shit and told him I was gonna start draggin' her along to her chores till she figured out that she has to work, just like everybody else. I finished up with sayin' that he needed to stop bein' a chickenshit and ask around for himself if he wanted someone's opinion besides mine."

"Did he believe any of it?" he prodded further, handing her a coveted menthol from his jacket pocket.

"Doubt it. But I guess he did do some investigatin' after all, considerin' the caterwaulin' we're all bein' subjected to," she took a drag from her smoke and blew out a loud exhale, "This is why my group had rules about drama, this telenova shit makes me wanna say fuck it and blast off for the hills."

"Mea, we've got a good thing goin' on here," he cautiously responded, not knowing which direction her mind was heading, "We'd have a rough time findin' somewhere half this good before winter is in full swing."

"Which is why I'm gonna bust her in the mouth instead," she stated with a smoke filled huff, "I'm not gonna let one self righteous pain in the ass ruin what the rest of us are tryin' to build here."

The hunter was quiet whilst Pan not so subtly squirmed his way onto the bench with them, his eyes begging for attention. He indulged the mutt with a hearty bout of scratching, under the dog's striped sweater, before looking back to his wife, "Darlin' you know you'd snap her in half the first time you laid a hand on her, right? Besides, I don't think beatin' a pregnant woman to a pulp is the best way to solve this problem."

"If she's actually pregnant, you mean," she scoffed, hand extending to stroke the dog's blocky head, "I just can't help but think that she originally made the baby shit up after she heard that Hershel wanted them all off of his farm."

"You believe she lied so he wouldn't make 'em hit the road?" he took a drag from his cigarette, "You really think she'd go that far to get her way?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "She is definitely the type of person to create a crisis in order to get shit to go the way she wants it to. She actually reminds me of Mason's sister-in-law. That woman was always pullin' shit like that when she noticed someone else gettin' more attention than her. A couple of times, she pulled the pregnancy card after somebody announced a big event, then backtracked later on, sayin' the test was a false positive or that she'd miscarried. She pulled it at least twice while Mason and Rae were planning their wedding. I got to hear all about it whenever he called me."

"You sure they ain't the same person then?" he lowly chortled, nuzzling her hair to muffle his words.

"Nah. Brandy was a big boobed bottle blonde who'd had enough plastic surgery to make Michael Jackson envious," she laughed and leaned forward long enough to drop her wasted smoke into a can, then resumed petting Pan, "But she and Lori would have either been bff's or mortal enemies hellbent on tryin' to outdo each other. Can you imagine if we had to deal with both of them now?"

"I'd shoot 'em," he divulged before giving her a kiss and getting to his feet, "I'm goin' to grab a shower before dinner, you comin'?"

"Definitely," she grinned, taking his outstretched hand.

*line break*

"So I guess Rick moved into his own room last night," Meadow revealed as her redneck climbed onto the platform that had been built for guards to see over the gate, "I saw him go into an empty room after we finished watch."

"I didn't see him," he yawned while passing her a bowl of oatmeal topped with sliced apples.

"You were still chattin' with Lee," she explained as she dug into her food, then changed the subject, "So why did you volunteer us for morning watch anyways? I was lookin' forward to a morning alone with you while T, Hershel, and Lee took the kids fishin'."

"Glen and Maggie promised to take our next couple of watches if we let them have this mornin' to "sleep in"," he grinned as he delved into his own breakfast, "It sounded worth the trade, since we don't gotta wait for rubbers to have our fun, like they do. Besides, we'll get twice as much time alone this way."

"Aww, aren't you a doll?" she leaned over and gave him a swift kiss on the temple, "Givin' the lovebirds a mornin' to themselves. Such a softie."

"Shuddup woman," he groused, nudging her back with an elbow as his cheeks flushed, "I'm tryin' to eat here and you're ruinin' my appetite, talkin' shit like that."

She laughed at his antics, then fell quiet as they ate and observed the sunrise together. By the time they finished with their meal and shared a morning smoke, others were beginning to drift out into the chilly morning. Daryl gently knocked her shoulder when Rick stepped out onto the front porch alone, no Lori to be found.

"Where do you think she's hidin'?" he whispered, his mouth obscured by the thumbnail he was worrying at.

"She might have had a sudden urge to help with the breakfast dishes in the kitchen," she guessed, then squinted toward the horizon, "We're gonna need to wrangle a couple pairs of sunglasses so people aren't blinded when they're standin' up here in the morning."

"With you around, what's everyone else gonna use? I remember how many pairs you went through every time you came to town," his lips curled up into a playful grin, "I know I bought you at least ten pairs myself."

"All this shit comin' from the guy who would buy half a dozen sets of the same shades cuz he thought they looked cool," she fired back with a matching smirk, "You had eight or ten pairs jammed into that glove compartment the first time I went out with you."

"Somethin' in me must've known you were gonna be comin' along to lose 'em all," he ran a hand over her haphazard bun fondly, "I had to keep 'em stocked up so I'd have at least one pair left after you stole all the others. All twenty or thirty of 'em."

"Asshole," she mock pouted and wound her arms around his waist.

He caught an errant crimson curl and twirled it around his index finger, his voice dropping an octave as he spoke next, "Now who's the sweet talker darlin'?"

"Always you," she smiled and tilted her head back to look into his eyes.

As he moved to kiss her, their moment was interrupted by someone below clearing their throat. In tandem they leaned over the railing to find Rick bashfully waving up at them.

"I can, uh, take over the watch, if you'd like," he offered, tucking his thumbs into his belt loops, "I know neither of you have had but a couple hours sleep, with taking two watches on the same night. You could go rest for a few hours, or even go fishing with the others."

"Alright," Daryl decided for the pair before she could formulate a response, then dragged her from the platform whilst she muttered a farewell.

As they plodded closer to the building, Meadow turned her green orbs toward her spouse, "What the hell was that about Dar?"

"I wanted to get the hell out of there before you said somethin' to change his mind," the hunter grumbled as he reached out to grasp her hand, "Besides, it don't take a rocket surgeon to see that he wants to be on his lonesome for a while."

"Alright, I get it," she sighed as they rounded the house. They had already endured a hard separation because of idiocy on both sides of an issue and therefore were aware the other man would require a wide berth for the foreseeable future, "Just try not to rip my arm out of the socket next time you're in a rush, that shit hurts Dixon."

"Pfft, a little tug ain't gonna slow you down," he scoffed but rubbed the affected appendage, "You're the toughest woman I know...Dixon."

*line break*

"Andrea and her sister Amy started teaching all of us kids how to fish when we were camping at the quarry," Carl babbled enthusiastically from under the brim of his father's hat, "I can't remember all the names they were using for stuff, but it was so cool when I caught a fish on my own the first time out on that boat. I still miss that boat. Wouldn't it be awesome if we had a boat right now?"

Meadow's eyes drifted over the lake as the sun's rays refracted beams of golden light across the slight waves, "Yeah, a boat would be real nice kiddo. Maybe we ought to try huntin' one down over the winter and fix it up so y'all can go out on it come spring."

She knew it was stupid to give the children any hope that they would still be at the former bed and breakfast when winter ended, but it was so nice to pretend for a little while and fantasize about the life that they could build.

"Maybe we could go ice fishing this winter!" the youngest Grimes suddenly chirped, bouncing in place, "I've always wanted to try it, because it looks awesome on tv!"

"Quit your damn squirmin' kid or you're gonna lose your pole," Daryl huffed, his own rod currently held by a sturdy branch that had been shoved into the mud whilst he whittled away at a bundle of sticks he was hoping to turn into hunting bolts, "Not even sure this water is gonna be deep enough for proper ice fishin'. We'll hafta wait and see before we try anythin'."

"Does it even get cold enough for the water down here to ice over like that?" the stocky woman inquired after adjusting her own equipment, "I know you usually don't have as harsh of winters as we do up north."

"Smaller bodies of water can freeze over sometimes," Hershel revealed, surprising everyone with his acknowledgment of the redhead, "And with the way the weather has been turning already, we are going to be in for a colder winter this year, so it could be possible to ice fish once or twice."

"What do you think this will mean for the zeds?" Lee asked from his place beside Jayden, his arms thrown over his eyes as he reclined on the bank, "Will the cold even affect them?"

"I personally believe it will be like putting meat in a freezer," the elder man replied, his gaze never straying from the water, "They seem to generate no body heat of their own, so it is possible they could freeze if it got cold enough for an extended amount of time."

"Zombie popsicles. Gross," Jayden grimaced dramatically, earning himself a round of soft laughter, "I bet they'll be easier to kill though, if they're frozen."

"It will also make it more difficult to tell between zed dead and dead dead," his aunt remarked with a slight frown. Her words caused things to fall quiet for a a time, until another thought came to her, "Maybe we should look for some kerosene heaters for the guard posts and possibly a few rooms in the house. I doubt anyone really thought about stocking up on that stuff while it was still so hot that you felt like your skin was going to melt off. I know I didn't."

"We would have to make sure everything was properly ventilated," Lee interjected blankly, still not opening his eyes, "My brother and I had a cousin who forgot to vent his house and died because the fumes from his heater built up in his place overnight. He lived alone too, so no one found him for a few days. Thankfully this all went down long before all this started, so no one got hurt but him."

"Gonna have to scrounge up a couple of fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors," Meadow blurted before digging a battered notebook and pen from her bag, "Need to add them to the list before I forget. Shit, Maggie and Glen said they needed more condoms too."

No one commented on her endless list making. They had collectively benefited too much from them to demean her hard work. Instead they chose to enjoy the cool, sunny day, occasionally making small talk and helping the boys whilst the redhead scribbled and muttered to herself.

Three hours, and several buckets of fish later, the group returned to the plantation, Carl and Jayden holding up their buckets triumphantly. T-Dog was the first to crow about the bounty they had returned with and took the buckets to hold them up for everyone to see, much to everyone's delight.

The fish was dressed, then fried in skillets on outside fires so the house didn't fill with the acrid scent of seafood. Beth, Maggie, and Glen ransacked the pantries to make an assortment of side dishes that complimented the main course.

No one went to bed with an empty stomach that night, all thanks to a pair of exuberant boys.

*line break*

"The trailer is almost full," Glen warned after dropping two more garbage bags onto the pull along, "Even if we hit the other places today, we have nowhere to put stuff."

Meadow absently nodded as she maneuvered her own findings onto the cart, "We'll pack it in after Maggie and Daryl return. Did you find everything?"

The younger man shook his head, "I couldn't find any hand warmers. We might have to check an outdoor store, or something similar, because it was so warm when the world went to hell, that I doubt most places had any in stock."

"Unless we chance a big box store like Walmart," she frowned, scanning her own crumpled sheet of paper, "They keep so much junk in their back rooms all year round. Clearin' a store like that is gonna be a bitch though, if we manage to find one that hasn't been picked clean. Everyone and their fuckin' brothers were scrambling for all the big shops when this started happening and got themselves killed fightin' with the other looters. It was a big damn mess then and will be another big damn mess now."

"We could try a push into a bigger town," he suggested, moving to peruse his own copy of the list, "We might be able to pull it off, but it would take a ton of planning to pull it off properly."

"It's not like we have much of anythin' but time," she deadpanned, then froze as Maggie and Daryl came into view, flanking a dark skinned woman with a shaggy bob, "What the fuck babe? Radio in with any significant updates, remember?"

"We found her hidin' out in that little country store we were slated to clear, "Maggie explained, tossing her bags onto the trailer, "We already asked her the questions too. She's a certified nurse who came south to find her daughter."

By the emotions swirling in her eyes, she had obviously found what used to be her child, yet she smiled as she stepped forward, "My name's Katrice."

"Meadow," the redhead answered and made the introductions all around, "How long have you been on your lonesome?"

"Ever since the last group I was with had a person hide a bite until they started snacking on people," the other woman spit, then took several deep breaths before continuing, "I"m sorry about that, it's one hell of a sore spot. My daughter Rhia was one of the people who got bit as a result. She was only nineteen when it happened, just about a month ago now. There were about seven of us after that fiasco, but three of them split to go off to the CDC in Altlanta in search of a cure or something."

"The CDC is a bust, saw it for ourselves," Daryl grunted, then worried at a thumbnail as he looked to his spouse, "We ready to head back?"

In truth the newcomer had everyone on edge, so they would have gone home whether the trailer was full or not, but the stocky woman also realized the question had been a smokescreen because of their guest, so she gave a curt nod, "Yeah, we're pretty much out of room so we might as well call it a day. At least we'll have more time to get everythin' sorted before dark."

Once they were on the road, Katrice broke the silence with a question of her own, "Are you the people painting big X's all over the place?"

"Yeah, we do it so that we remember which places we have cleared already," Maggie elaborated from behind Daryl, who was at the wheel, "It would be stupid to hit the same places multiple times if we can avoid it, right?"

The older woman slowly nodded her agreement, "It makes sense. I saw a few places marked like that all over on the way down here, but I think they were something the military did to mark places that were evacuated. I used them a lot when I was looking for Rhia."

"I've done it a few times myself," Meadow qualified, eyes warily scanning the road ahead. Despite how friendly the former nurse appeared at first glance, there was no way in hell she was going to take everything she said at face value, "Where are you and your girl from originally? You don't sound like locals."

"New Orleans," Katrice divulged almost wistfully, her gaze drifting away to watch the passing scenery, "We moved to North Carolina after Hurricane Katrina took everything we had. Rhia ended up coming down here for college, on a full scholarship, two years ago. I was in the process of moving this way myself when the Army showed up out of nowhere and started evacuating everyone to one of those camps just outside Raleigh.

Things were okay for about two weeks, until a guard got bit. Less than an hour later, a swarm of those dead things broke through the fences. About twenty five of us escaped together originally, about ten of them soldiers. They tried to take us to another camp, but it was gone by the time we arrived. We tried to head toward one in Kentucky that was supposed to be safe, but our camp was overrun the night we reached the border. Lost over half the group trying to get away.

That's when talk about the CDC first started.

I ended up throwing my lot in with them because I knew there was safety in numbers, and most of them were willing to help me look for Rhia along the way. It took less than a week for our numbers to be whittled down to four, but I had to keep going.

We found a couple small groups here and there as we continued our journey, and let me tell you that several were not so nice, but I eventually was lucky enough to find my daughter with a decent group. Most of them were other college kids taking summer courses, and they were being led by a couple of ROTC recruiters who had been on campus when everything started. I even got to meet my baby girl's new beau, some quiet white boy from Maine, of all places. His name was Seth Green, just like that werewolf guy from Buffy. One of the first things he said to me was that he wanted to marry Rhia."

Katrice fell quiet after that, lost in her memories. No one bothered the still grieving woman, doing their best to give her the semblance of privacy in order to mourn her losses in relative peace.

*line break*

Daryl veered the SUV onto an overgrown path that served as a secondary road to the plantation. They meandered down the pseudo road until it gave way to the main causeway just under one hundred yards from the gates of their current home.

T-Dog, Jayden, and Carl opened the gates and waved them through before hurriedly rolling them back into place.

Rick, Lee, and Hershel stood waiting as the hunter parked the vehicle, their relief at their comrades return marred by confusion upon the appearance of an unfamiliar face.

"Be honest, no matter what is asked," the stocky woman advised over her shoulder as everyone stepped from the truck.

"Guys, this is Katrice," Maggie smiled as she gestured toward the woman in question, "We found her alone in a shop. When we asked her the questions, she said she was a nurse and we thought she might be helpful, especially with Lori. Katrice, this is Rick, Lee, and my father Hershel."

The woman shook each man's hand cordially before Rick cleared his throat, "What were your answers to the questions Katrice?"

"Kat's just fine in polite company," she replied with a morose smile, "I've killed dozens of the walking corpses and I killed one living person. Almost two."

"Why did you do it?"

Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at the dark haired man "Because she asked me to. Because she was my baby. Rhia didn't want to become one of those things and I couldn't say no to my child's last wish. As for the almost one...Seth ended up turning before I-"

"I understand," the former lawman nodded knowingly, his gaze flitting over to his son, who was currently scanning the grounds with his binoculars, "Hershel is going to show you where you can stow your gear while the rest of us get this all unloaded. Dinner won't be done for a while yet, so take your time. Get cleaned up, take a breath, and prepare for a lot of questions because it has been quite a while since any of us have encountered anyone who wasn't wantin' to kill us."

As soon as the Greene patriarch disappeared with their newest guest, Rick turned toward the redneck and his bride, "Well? What do you think?"

"She talks when she's nervous," Meadow declared, accepting a cigarette from her spouse as she spoke, "Kinda like Glen does, but without the inane babblin'. She misses her kid like hell, but that's not a surprise. Also she has too much pride to lie about stupid shit. And she was definitely a people person before all this because she wasn't really uncomfortable bein' surrounded by us in the truck."

Rick bobbed his head in acceptance then turned to Daryl, who shrugged the shoulder not currently holding his crossbow, "She seems okay to me. Besides, havin' a nurse around with as much as shit we get into don't sound like a bad idea."

"Alright then," the former lawman smirked and clapped each of them on the shoulder, "You did an excellent job today, I mean that. Did you get everything on your shopping list?"

"No, had to cut things short when they found Katrice," Meadow confessed with a sigh and ran a hand down her frizzy braid, "I'd like to go back out tomorrow for the rest of it...and to make sure that she really is alone."

"Who do you want to take with you?" Rick asked, not even attempting to argue with her logic.

"Lee and Pan," Daryl responded with zero hesitation, "The mutt will be able to sniff out anyone else alive, if they're around. When he's tapped out, he'll guard Mea while Lee and I double check shit."

"Sounds like a plan," the other man nodded his approval then waved them off, "We can get this unloaded. You two go get cleaned up and relax a bit before dinner, you've earned the break."

The couple didn't argue and headed inside, eager to have some unchaperoned time together.


	9. Chapter 9

9

Four weeks after finding Katrice and bringing her into the fold, the temperature suddenly plummeted overnight and the group woke to a light dusting of snow on the ground. It melted before mid-morning, of course, but there was no denying now that the bulk of the warm weather was officially behind them. They still made carefully planned excursions into nearby areas for supplies because there was no such thing as having too much anymore.

People were reminded once more of how differently time passed now when Carol, Katrice, Beth, and the kids requested to erect a Christmas tree in the front room. Of course this led to Glen, Maggie, Lee, Carl, Jayden, and T-Dog conducting an unscheduled shopping trip whilst Daryl, Meadow, Belle, Sophia, and Pan disappeared into the woods in search of a suitable tree.

As the latter crew made their way back to the mansion, they found themselves being followed by another unexpected, but decidedly welcome, guest. By the time they had dragged the seven foot tall conifer into the house and secured it within a stand, the friendly rottweiler had been dubbed Amber-on account of her striking eyes- and already possessed her own colorful sweater to stave off the chill. Everyone was pleased with the new addition, especially Pan-who finally had another canine playmate to share duties with- and the kitten trio, who now possessed a second jungle gym to frolic on when the humans were otherwise occupied.

Meadow started making herself scarce in the evenings though, always around the time Hershel sat himself in front of the garishly decorated tree and began reading aloud from his bible. No one noticed the redhead's absence until Jayden and Isabelle began disappearing as well.

It was Rick who eventually followed them up to the playroom in the attic, where he found the three of them playing a board game.

"I was wondering where you keep wandering off to every night," he commented in lieu of a greeting as he leaned against a support. She could tell his cop mode was fully engaged the second she saw his expression.

"What's goin' on right now is not really our cup of tea," Meadow responded as she rolled the dice then moved her game piece, "So instead of makin' things awkward, we decided to spend some time together, doin' our own thing. And in case you're wonderin', yes Daryl will be up in a bit, after Carol relieves him at the gate."

"I don't mean to pry here Mea, but are you doin' this because you and Hershel don't get on?" he asked and she could see the gears beginning to turn behind his eyes, no doubt looking for ways to maintain the fragile peace.

The stocky woman shook her head, causing the throw blanket around her to slide off one shoulder, "It has nothin' to do with that. My reason is kinda private actually, but not anythin' to make a fuss over. We'll be back down sometime after he's finished for the night."

Before he could formulate any kind of response to that, Daryl was plodding up the stairs with an armload of blankets. The look in the other man's eyes proved he had heard every word of the conversation, "They ain't the right religion for that crowd Rick, that's all you need to know. Now leave 'em be, they ain't botherin' nobody."

"I just came up to make certain everything was alright," Rick replied neutrally, suddenly feeling like he was intruding upon a very private moment for the little family, "I can ask Hershel to-"

Meadow held up a hand to stop him, "You'll do no such thing Officer. Most everyone down there is takin' comfort in what he's doin' and we will not ruin it. Besides, you know how sociable we are when it's all said and done. This bit of respite from everyone is perfect for us."

He's quiet a long moment then bobbed his head, "Alright Mea, if you're sure. But know you're always welcome down there. And if things start to bother you too much, it will be taken care of. No one deserves to feel ostracized because of their beliefs."

"Thanks, but no intervention is necessary, mortal or divine," she gave him a slight half grin as he started back down the stairs, leaving them in peace once more.

After her husband covered each child with another blanket, he sat down at her side and covered them both with a comforter from their bed, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. He didn't say or do anythin' stupid this time," she breathed the words as she relaxed into his side, then uttered a contented hum when he wrapped an arm around her, "Do you think he'll say somethin' to the others? I can't imagine how some of them might react to discovering a couple of pagan heretics in their midst."

"He won't say shit darlin'. It ain't none of their damn business anyways, whatever you believe in," he answered as he accepted the dice from Belle, "I'm more worried about these two handin' my ass to me than Rick blabbin' our private shit. Jay, I see that cocky glean in your eyes already, you fuckin' cheater. Gonna keep my eyes on you this time."

"Just because you can't beat me does not mean I'm cheating," the boy grinned and gestured to the board, "Now roll the dice before we all either die of boredom or freeze to death."

"Smartass," the hunter growled and tossed the dice.

*line break*

"Rick and Hershel were arguin' somethin' fierce this morning," Meadow commented softly as she followed her spouse along the fog ridden deer path, "I guess Lee and Beth have been spendin' more time together than he's happy with and Beth won't listen to him when he tries to forbid her from doin' so. Hershel was tryin' to get Rick to step in on his behalf, last I saw."

"Damn girl is old enough to make her own mistakes," Daryl grunted, his eyes never wavering from the set of tracks the pair had been tracking over the last several hours, "The old man's gotta realize at some point that the old rules don't apply no more."

"And before you say it, I know it ain't our business, but I thought you might want to be warned we might be goin' back to a full blown shit storm in progress," she explained as he paused to inspect something on the ground, "Is it wrong though that I can't help but wonder what we would do if it were Belle or Jay involved with someone we weren't all that crazy about?"

"Nothin' wrong with that darlin'," he assured her once they resumed their trek, "But neither of us are some delusional religious nut either, so I think the monsters would be less likely to tell us to piss off if we had reservations about a person they was wantin' to bump uglies with."

She smothered a quiet chuckle behind a glove, then sobered and tapped him on the shoulder before pointing, "Up there."

The redneck scanned the area ahead of them with a practiced eye and found three does grazing on a patch of browned grass while a proud eight point buck stood as sentinel for his harem. He lined up the shot and fired, sending everyone but his target bounding away.

"Ding ding, dinner's done," he smirked, earning another laugh from his bride.

*line break*

"Carol was in Kat's room last night," Maggie whispered conspiratorially at Meadow while they walked the perimeter outside of the walls, searching for errant walkers, "I saw them kiss at Kat's door before Carol went back to her own room."

"And I'm supposed to care why?" Meadow huffed, not seeing what the fuss was about, "Are you seriously goin' to complain about someone else gettin' laid when you and Glen go through rubbers faster than I can blink? At least we don't have to worry about either of 'em gettin' knocked up."

"I just never thought I'd see Carol, of all people, hookin' up with someone," the younger woman elaborated, her expression wrinkling in confusion, "And well, she's got Sophia and Kat had Rhia, so I didn't think either of them was like well, like that."

"It's the end of the fuckin' world and you can't wrap your head around Carol and Kat gettin' down and dirty because they both have kids?" the redhead snorted out a laugh and shook her head, "Is this some religious shit? Or maybe a jealousy thing?"

"What? No! That's not what this is about at all!" Maggie exclaimed and smacked her companion on the arm, "I meant that I didn't expect to see somethin' so intimate out of Carol, seeing as how her husband treated her all those years."

"That is why it makes perfect sense," Meadow countered, making a point to give her a sideways glance, "A man fucked her head up and put his hands on her in anger, so now she's naturally leery of all men, even if she knows logically that they would not hurt her like Ed did. Did you ever stop and think perhaps Kat knows what Carol's been through and that is part of the reason they've gravitated toward each other?"

"When you put it like that," the younger woman bobbed her head in understanding, "Then I'm glad they found each other, because everyone deserves a chance at happiness, especially since those chances are far and few between nowadays."

"Is that why you won't help your dad sabotage whatever Lee and your sister presently have goin' on?" she asked after stopping to dispose of a legless walker shambling around at the treeline.

"Well kind of. Mostly I feel that that our father is tryin' to interfere because he's so scared of his little girls growin' up," was the reply as the other woman blew into her cupped hands then rubbed them together to warm them a bit, "He wasn't as strict with our older brother and it bit him in the ass a few times, so now he's gone overboard in the opposite direction with me and Beth in order to make up for his mistakes with Billy."

"Perhaps," Meadow said neutrally, keeping her opinions to herself, in order to maintain the morning's relative peace, and continued walking.

*line break*

"Lori, I'm not doing this with you right now," Rick sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off an encroaching headache, "We will talk when I get back, I promise."

"Why does it always have to be you running off?! And why does it seem you are the only person who never gets a break from all the work?!" the frail brunette shrieked, causing everyone in the vicinity of the argument to swivel around and gape at her whilst she flapped her arms wildly, "Why can't someone take your place for once?!"

"Because I'm already taking your place!" the former lawman bellowed, finally losing his cool, "I have been taking your damn place on every single job you say you can't do because you're pregnant! Every supply run, every guard shift, every rotation on laundry! Literally every job you've been given around here Lori! And all you do in return is bitch about how everyone-including me- treats you so badly!"

"I-I-" his spouse stammered tearfully, unable to counter his words. Her eyes flitted about frantically for a moment then, upon catching sight of their unwilling audience, she winced and turned back to the irate man, "Rick please-"

"Lori please just stop. I said can't do this with you right now, and I mean it," he cut her off with a gesture, "I already know you're not sorry about what you have said or done. You're just sorry you got caught. Get in the damn house with Carl, and we will talk about this later, _after_ I get done doin' your job. _Again_."

Lori's head swiveled around, seeking a sympathetic soul to champion her, but found none willing. Her dark gaze settled on the redhead, whose own spouse stood silently with a hand on his wife's broad shoulder. She tried to match the other woman's sharp green gaze, but her strength failed her after only a moment and she was forced to look away in defeat. Through her lashes, she watched the hunter give his bride a swift kiss before the group slid into the SUV and shut the doors.

"Sorry about all that," Rick offered from his place in front passenger seat once they had left the mansion behind, his tone belying his blatant embarrassed over the heated exchange, "Things have been...tense between Lori and I ever since we agreed to give each other some space."

"Ain't none of our damn business Officer," Daryl flatly claimed from behind him and his wife nodded in agreement, "You keep havin' scream fests out in the yard like that though and someone is bound to make it their business eventually."

T-Dog turned onto the main stretch then lit himself a cigarette before speaking, "No offense man, but the way Lori carries on sometimes, she makes it hard to keep out of things. To make shit worse, she's even tried to argue her viewpoints over this crap with some of us, no matter how many times we've told her that we don't want involved in your personal matters.

Of course when any of us do this, she turns around and treats us like garbage for not automatically taking her side. Most of us spend days on end being subjected to her constantly badmouthing whoever she's most pissed off at. She's turning our lives into a never ending Jerry Springer episode and it's royally pissing people off. We try to not to say anything too nasty in order to get her to leave us alone, out of respect for you and Carl, but it's getting damn hard."

"I am so sorry, I didn't know things had gotten that bad," Rick bowed his head in renewed shame, and one hand moved to pick at the other's sleeve, "I honestly don't know what's gotten into her lately. I know things weren't perfect between us before I got shot and all this end of the world stuff happened, but it was never like this. Hell, we'd even talked once or twice about splittin' up after Carl was born, but I truly thought we had left all that horrible stuff behind us when I found them at the quarry. And I know it might sound strange to you all, but for the first time, in a long time, we felt like a real family again. I just can't figure out what went wrong since to make things devolve this way. That woman is not the person I fell in love with or asked to marry me, and I have no idea how to get _my_ Lori back."

Silently Daryl's hand found and tightly grasped his wife's, each empathizing with the man, in their own way, over his crumbling relationship. Neither had any words of comfort to give though because they knew the other couple would have to find their own way to overcome their issues, whether their ensuing choices kept them together or completely severed what bonds they had left.

*line break*

The run was cut short when they spotted a fairly large herd lingering on the farthest edges of the town and decided to cut and run before the reanimated corpses caught their scent. The discovery then sent the entire troupe scrambling when they returned with the grim news.

For three days they kept themselves shuttered in, as much out of fear as waiting out the half frozen creatures sluggish migration from the area. For a solid week afterwards, watches were doubled and no one set foot beyond the walls just in case the hungry dead doubled back their way.

By the time their schedules returned to normal, living on top of one another had scraped the group's nerves beyond raw. Several shopping trips were immediately planned and executed in order to hastily deflate flaring tempers. Extra fishing and wood gathering trips were slated as well, anything physically engaging to bleed off excess energy.

Only once more did they encounter friendly living beings on an outing. Two beings, to be exact. One was a tough as nails older woman named Rhonda-Ronnie, to her friends-and her great niece Angelina. The pair had been on the move for nearly three weeks after escaping the clutches of a group who had some seriously questionable plans for any female they encountered. Luckily they settled in well with the other survivors, even after Angelina and Lori scrapped one evening after the perpetually ill tempered Grimes matriarch came upon the younger woman giving Carl tips on the best ways she knew to dispense of biters with a bowie knife.

Space was extremely limited after the latest additions to their rag tag band, even after Katrice gave up her room to bunk with Carol, but spirits lifted exponentially when Hershel called everyone together to announce that it was time to start preparations for the spring planting. So yet more raids were planned, this time focusing on gathering equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and tools they had not managed to collect over the winter months.

Eager to be working toward a common goal again, everyone volunteered for as many trips as possible. Except Lori, who had seemingly, overnight, ballooned into a very pregnant harpy that everyone did their damnedest to avoid. Even Hershel made a significant amount of trips outside of the walls, often claiming that he knew what to search for better than anyone else. And he was right, in this instance, as many-including Meadow-had no idea about some of the items he described during the meetings. Maggie and Beth had the best understanding of it all, for obvious reasons, but their father refused to risk errors with some of the critical items because, despite their diligent management, the extra mouths they had collected were rapidly depleting their meager surplus of food. They were going to need to start planting as soon as humanly possible or risk starvation, as their raids for foodstuffs were now producing increasingly diminishing returns.

*line break*

It was the middle of a chilly early spring night when Meadow awakened to the sharp smell of smoke. Too much smoke for either a burning cigarette or fireplace.

No sooner did she have her feet mashed into her boots when the door flew open to reveal a hard face Daryl, the sound of fire alarms ringing out from behind him, "Grab everything you can and throw it out the window now!"

"What's going on? Did another group find us and attack?" she rasped, racing to help toss their worldly belongings out onto the lawn, "Did one of the outlets spark up again?"

"The house is on fire Mea," he revealed in a harsh tone while methodically moving over to begin vaulting totes out into the dark, "Looks like it started in the kitchen and it's already grown so big that we don't have enough fire extinguishers to put it out, so we gotta save what we can while we still have time."

"Jay and Belle? Did you already-" her heart leaped into her throat, choking her words.

"All of the kids are bein' moved to the big garage right now," he divulged and tossed out one last bag out of the window before taking her arm "We can't save the house, it's gonna blow as soon as the fire reaches the gas lines all because we had to bypass the safety shut off's last month to deal with that cracked pipe."

"How are you stayin' so calm about this?" she couldn't help but ask as her own emotions reeled beneath the surface.

"Not my first house fire," he reminded her as something dark flared behind his azure gaze, "Merle didn't learn jack shit about not smokin' in bed after our mom died. Had to keep wherever we was livin' from burnin' down more than once while we was growin' up."

His piece said, he pushed her toward the open window and out onto the roof of the front porch where Meadow herself had attached an emergency rope ladder not long after the group had taken up residency.

She scanned the grounds with a critical eye after reaching the grass and sighed in relief when she spied her niece and nephew, each wrapped in a thick blanket and standing near the garage doors with the other kids whilst the dogs stood guard and the adults rushed to salvage what they were able.

"We can't stay here," she heard Rick announce to the group as she trotted over, deliberately ignoring how the tilled soil and tiny vegetable sprouts had been trampled flat in the chaos as she went, "The fire is going to start drawin' walkers real soon, so start packing everything vital into the trucks first. Everything else that won't fit will go onto the trailers, if we still have the room. The clock is working against us people, so we're gonna have to hustle."

While the redhead was taking another gander toward the kids, she couldn't help but freeze a moment when she happened to see the expression on Lori's face.

Overwhelming guilt.

In a split second the stocky woman's perpetual annoyance with the other woman solidified into a blackened ball of pure hatred, and she took a single involuntary step toward the fragile brunette, but her name being called by her husband had her shoving away the urge to murder Lori and return her focus to more important matters, like surviving the night.

It took less than ten minutes more for the first lines to rupture, sending a fireball of truly epic proportions skyward. Everyone abandoned what they were doing in that instant and raced for the vehicles before the flames could detonate the main tanks as well.

*line break*

Curled into Daryl's side, she mutely wept for the beautiful dream she'd dared allow herself to believe in. The dream that had literally went up in flames before her eyes, all because of one stupid, careless bitch. She felt warm drops upon her scalp, which forced her to swallow her renewed ire, and squeezed herself closer to the hunter as he also silently grieved.

The now homeless caravan drove onward until the first rays of sunlight began to light the horizon, at which point they pulled over to stretch their too tense bodies and assess their options.

Daryl gave her a chaste kiss, then padded over to speak with Rick while she tended to her teary eyed niece and nephew, who had drifted off in the back of the van with the half grown kittens snuggled in with them.

"Where are we going to go now?" Isabelle whimpered into her aunt's shoulder, a kitten wedged between them, as the woman hugged both children to her.

"That is what we're gonna try to figure out kiddo," Meadow opted to tell the truth rather than try to concoct a comforting lie, "We might have to move around a bit for a while though, at least until we can find somethin' relatively safe."

"At least it wasn't like the farm. Everybody made it out this time," Jayden quietly commented, absently stroking the calico mother currently held in his arms.

"There is that," she agreed sullenly and kissed each of them on the forehead before ordering them back to Lee, Carol, and Katrice, who were jointly overseeing the children's bathroom breaks. She then trudged over to where some of the others had draped a map over the front of a dead station wagon, "Any ideas yet?"

"Nothing concrete," Rick confessed, running a hand through his already mussed hair, "We ought to consider clearing out a house to stay in while we work on a plan. Problem is, I can't figure out which direction is best to go in."

"East," T-Dog decided. It was the same offering he had given each time the question was asked ever since they had fled from the farms, "We always want to head east because that means we'll eventually have the ocean to protect at least one side of us from herds or other groups as we travel."

"He's right," Ronnie chimed in, hands still clutching the claw hammer she favored, "It's not the best plan, but I'll take only having to watch three sides as a constant over four."

The former lawman peered around at all those gathered, which was most of the group presently, and found no objections, so he straightened himself and gave a nod, "East it is. Until we find somethin' better."

It didn't take long to load up again, even after catching Sophia and Isabelle before they could chase one of the cats into the underbrush. It was difficult, the choice not to stay and look for the feline, but the appearance of two walkers on the road behind the group reinforced the decision to move on.

The rag tag bunch drove throughout the day, only stopping to siphon gasoline from abandoned cars. As the day grew dimmer, they opted to make camp within a sturdy rural firehouse after disposing of the undead housed inside.

As it turned out, they had left behind the mother cat, whom they had always had trouble keeping corralled. Thankfully the kittens were long passed the need for her means of sustenance or constant protection.

Once the four children, and their pets, had been safely tucked away in the barracks on the upper level, several members of the group took their wind up flashlights and scoured the building for any useful items while the rest either rested or kept watch. One by one they brought their findings to where the trucks were parked when it was time to trade off duties so that everyone had a chance to decompress.

Near dawn they were shocked to alertness by a noise eerily resembling a gunshot and scrambled to the vehicles en masse, unwilling to stick around for the mass of walkers who would surely be attracted to the sound.

*line break*

For the next handful of weeks the cycle continued in a similar manner. Driving, hiding, gathering as many supplies as they could carry, and bolting on a moment's notice upon the sighting of any disruption that crossed their collective path.

Twice during this time did they finds signs of other groups, but each time they chose to turn and head another direction as soon as the evidence was discovered. With four children, a pregnant woman, and two people of a venerable age amongst their numbers, there was no room for uncertainty. Unfortunately, during one such flight, they were forced to leave an entire pull along full of goods behind because of a flat tire and it halved their water supply in one fell swoop.

Finally Meadow approached Rick one evening while he stood watch on the sagging porch of their most recent lodging, "We can't keep this aimless wanderin' up for much longer Officer. We're running dangerously low on vital supplies and if we don't score a significant amount of fuel real fuckin' soon, we won't even have enough running cars to hold everybody. As it is, Daryl and I are ridin' his bike rain or shine just to make room for the others but shit, if we hadn't have fought to park it on the trailer a few days ago, we'd already be walkin'."

"What do you want me to say Meadow?" he chewed the words as they passed through his lips, his knuckles bleaching white upon the warped fence, "We've been going in circles for weeks, clearing out places only to abandon them a day, if not hours, later. If you have a better solution-which of course you do, you always do- I'm all ears."

"We should start considerin' making our way up into South Carolina now that it is warmin' up again, rather than keep chasin' our own tails," she ignored his verbal jab and lit a half burned stale smoke, "I also don't think goin' any farther south is a good idea whatsoever cuz if you thought last summer was bad, remember the zed population of Florida is probably gonna be movin' this way to find some fresh brains after spendin' the cold season polishin' off the poor bastards who weren't able to cancel their winter reservations."

"Is that what you really believe we should do?" he probed, his gaze finally shifting to meet her own, "Is that what you would do, if it was solely your choice?"

"Personally I think we ought to haul ass toward the Canadian Rockies, or at least some kind of mountain range up north, where the biters would have a harder time reachin' us," she shrugged a shoulder tiredly, not knowing what else he was expecting her to say, "I'd advise stayin' away from areas around power plants or big production mills because we have no idea what's happened to 'em these months with no one to shut 'em down or maintain 'em."

"Good idea," he nodded in understanding, "Let me guess, that is some of the reason you want to go hide in the mountains?"

"Definitely," she confirmed whilst stubbing out the wasted cigarette, "There will be at least one downside to hikin' out into the boonies though. We'll have to go farther to collect supplies and each shoppin' trip will take longer to carry out. I'm certain there will be more to it, aside from the obvious shit, but it's still somethin' to ponder."

She patted him on the arm and went back inside, leaving the man alone with his thoughts in the damp night, even as her own churned away inside of her skull.


	10. Chapter 10

10

"There ain't a snowball's chance in hell I'm goin' anywhere near that place," Meadow lowered her binoculars, which interrupted her view of the small town bustling with people, and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face, "Most of 'em ain't even carryin' weapons, like a bunch of fuckin' asshats beggin' to be eaten. Only people armed are a handful of men walkin' the wall and you can tell right off the bat that they're a bunch of damn idiots cuz they're totin' around machine guns like they're Rambo or some shit. They ain't nothin' but a bunch of fuckin' morons begging to be overrun by walkers, especially if they're stoppin' people from carryin' shit to protect themselves with."

"Wow, tell me how you really feel," Rick snickered over the radio she'd just been snarling into, then more seriously added, "We'll cut a few more miles to the south and go around them on the east side. The north is still cut off by that herd of three hundred or so currently, and it's heading west at a snail's pace, so it's not leaving us much of a choice on which direction to go for now. Come on back so we can get on our way."

"Let's get the hell outta here darlin', I'm startin' to get the heebie jeebies," Daryl was on his feet before the walkie went silent and pulled his bride up after him. Wordlessly the couple backtracked to the garage they had stowed his motorbike in, then hauled ass back to where the others were waiting.

The group rode southward, keeping to usable side roads, until it was nearly full dark when they happened upon a cluster of storage units surrounded by an intact chain link fence. After checking for inhabitants of any kind and finding only a single walking corpse, everyone unloaded and began to make camp for the night.

When morning came, Ronnie and Lee convinced their companions to stick around long enough to search the units for supplies. Their efforts did yield a fair amount of viable items, including some much welcomed camping gear and two crates of nonperishable foodstuffs.

A few scant hours after their journey resumed, they happened upon a strip mall that boasted only a dozen walkers in its parking lot. Together they dispatched the creatures, then Lee, Angelina, and Katrice all volunteered to scout the area behind the row of buildings. Less than an hour later they returned, grinning like fiends as they revealed the existence of a fully stocked outdoor store which seemingly held only a handful of the hungry dead and a ton of untouched stock.

While Meadow handed out hastily scribbled copies of their item list, everyone split into two groups. One would stay behind and guard their belongings whilst the second were tapped to indulge in a smash-and-grab style shopping trip.

Inside of the first store was a post apocalypse paradise. The merchandise within had scarcely been molested, which meant the nearby populace must have either succumbed to the monsters in the earliest days of the outbreak or had been evacuated before the full scale panicked looting could commence. Regardless of the reason it had been left untouched, their group would certainly reap the benefits.

Cart after cart was hauled out to be squirreled away for later use and they even had a chance to fuel their vehicles from a hidden gas pump everyone assumed had been used for the various ATV's, boats, and other gas powered machines held inside of the structure.

Then T-Dog and Angelina learned the doors of the cargo bays could be operated manually, after which they immediately decided to bring their trucks inside in order to make camp away from the chill drizzle falling outside. Glen, Rick, and Daryl fought with the security shutters at the front of the store until they could lock them closed, giving them a safe space in which they could sort and distribute the rest of their bounty.

Carol, Kat, and Ronnie utilized a half dozen plastic tubs and water from the reservoir on the roof to allow every person a chance to wash at least a few layers of dirt and grime from their skin whilst Beth, Lee, Sophia, and Belle cobbled together something almost edible for dinner.

Once everyone was fed and somewhat clean, Meadow and Daryl retreated behind a pseudo wall constructed from clothing racks and plastic tarps then built their bed using an air mattress and multiple layers of blankets.

The redhead reclined against a mound of improvised pillows made of sleeping bags, her fingers casually threading through her husband's hair whilst he used her lap as his own cushion. On the right side of the cloth and plastic partition, she could could hear the soft breaths of Sophia and Isabelle as they dozed in peace for the first time since the fire. Behind her head, and a second barrier, Jayden and Carl both let out gentle snores that she found oddly soothing.

Farther away, T-Dog and Angelina murmured to one another as they shared the watch, invoking a smile over the duo's budding romance.

"What are you smirkin' at?" her redneck sleepily mumbled, his eyelids cracking open just enough to peer up at her.

"I think T and Angelina are finally gonna take the plunge," she whispered down to him, her eyes tracking a kitten as it sauntered by the entrance of their manufactured cubicle, no doubt on its way to join the boys, "And I'm happy for him cuz he deserves to have someone as nice as she is by his side."

"Gonna have to go on another goddamn run for rubbers," he groused then pulled her down for a kiss, "Still kinda glad we don't have to worry about that shit, especially now."

"You and me both babe," she smiled against his lips before nudging him into motion so she could to join him under the covers.

*line break*

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Meadow queried, warily eyeing the supposed hybrid monstrosity sitting in front of her, "How do we know it really does fifty five miles to the gallon and not just five?"

"A coworker of mine had this exact model in blue," Katrice defended, one hand pressed to the side of the massive RV they were all gathered around, "I saw for myself that it actually did about fifty three miles to the gallon on a trip to Virginia Beach."

"She's not lying," Ronnie chimed in, shifting her sunglasses down her hooked nose in order to look at her comrades, "My brother-in-law had one of these too. It did about forty seven miles to the gallon when my late husband and I borrowed it to visit the Grand Canyon about five or six years ago. The damn thing actually charges itself as you drive, I'd never seen anything like it before, and neither had Ted. We loved it so much we were talking about buying one of our own, before his cancer came back."

"What is the smallest version they have?" Rick interjected, eyes scanning to evaluate the other options sprawled across the overgrown lot, "It won't do us much good for long if we can't get it around roadblocks or over sinkholes. And we're gonna have to make sure it isn't diesel, like the last one we saw."

"I saw one slightly bigger than Dale's over that way," Glen gestured toward a row of more compact campers, "I don't know if any of them are the self charging hybrids though."

"Show me," Ronnie commanded and plodded after the young man, with Rick in tow, while the rest of the group began the tedious task of siphoning gas from the lumbering machines.

A half hour later Ronnie wandered back with Rick to confirm the model Glen had brought to their attention was indeed a road worthy hybrid then immediately volunteered herself as the driver, as she was the only member of their menagerie to actually possess a commercial license and had many years experience with handling enormous machines. So once the beast was brought back to life, supplies were transferred from the recently dead minivan they had managed to tow to the lot, and they were on their way once again.

That night the companions made camp along the bank of a winding creek that was deep enough to fish in, to everyone's delight. Some of the adults oversaw the collection and sterilization of water whilst Jay, Hershel, and Carl happily fished for dinner. Others took the opportunity to launder and/or mend clothes and bathe. Sophia and Belle were gleefully chased by the cats hunting their bits of twine with the dogs assisting each side at random, depending on who was jumping around the most at the time.

To their dismay though, the pleasant evening was shattered just after dinner when a mass of about twenty walkers staggered onto the far bank. They were swiftly dispatched before they could further contaminate the stream, or call for others, but rather than take a risk that the zeds were merely the precursor to a larger group, the rag tag band packed up and moved on once again.

*line break*

"There's antifreeze all over the ground," Glen proclaimed whilst wedged under the newly dead SUV and the group stood guard around the machine,"And the engine block has a crack in it that we could fit Sophia into. The only way to fix this is to replace the engine. It's a job that could have taken days even before the outbreak. Now it might take weeks, if we could even find an engine that fit, because you need certain tools to do it correctly. I'm sorry but we're going to have to just leave it. "

"Well shit," Carol aptly blurted, making everyone laugh in spite of the situation they currently found themselves in, "So are we just going to load everything into the camper?"

A short discussion broke out before the supplies were distributed as equally as possible, with the surplus going into Ronnie's new RV.

*line break*

Meadow drifted in and out, dozing against her husband's back as they drove, the low rumble of the bike's engine a soothing rhythm that also served to drown out the all too common sound of the undead. Thoughts of a similar situation, years before the end of the world, floated through her mind, invoking a soft smile at the pleasant recollection.

"Mea, to the right," Daryl unexpectedly called over his shoulder, rousing her from her daydream, one of his hands extending to indicate a sign claiming that a family-and pet- friendly campground was five miles ahead.

"What do you bet that Rick will wanna stop?" she replied over the wind's roar.

"No bet to it, he's already signaling," the hunter revealed and gestured to his mirror where the SUV behind them was flashing its lights, "Probably not a bad idea to stop and let the kids take a piss break anyways."

"Not just the kids," she corrected and waved for the vehicle to take the lead.

Rick was already out of the truck and walking their way by the time they parked the motorcycle, "We need to collect more water and take some time to stretch our legs a bit. We'll have an easier time finding a place to park the RV here, since the lots were built to accommodate them."

"If we're extremely lucky, we could stay here for a few days and maybe scrounge some supplies," Meadow mused aloud as she rolled her stiff shoulders, "Hopefully I can find something to make another rain parka out of before we have to ride in the rain again."

"I might be able to catch somethin' to eat if we're gonna be here overnight," Daryl offered as he scratched at the stubble on his jaw and surveyed the area, "While I'm out, I'll check for a lake, or a pond, or some shit and see if we can park close enough to it to avoid gettin' lost in the woods while retrieving' water this go 'round. Maybe go fishin' if the water's deep enough."

"Places like this also usually have little stores that sell stuff like sodas, snacks, and fishing bait," Rick added as more people joined them, "As soon as we find a good place to set up, I want a group to go scout around for it. Another group will be searchin' campsites to see if there is anything useful to bring back. Anyone not goin' on the shopping trip will set up camp. I want everyone back to camp by dark regardless so we can discuss what comes next."

Daryl returned in less than ten minutes and led everyone to an open site near a small but healthy looking lake before vanishing into the woods again.

*line break*

"A place like this would be perfect to stay in for the summer, if we could build a fence around it," Glen bantered as they trudged their way back to the encampment, his back bowed under the weight of his pack, "Do you think there could be any hunting cabins around here?"

"Maybe," Daryl conceded, his azure gaze scoping out the treeline, "I'll take a look when I go back out later."

"I hope you find one with a big bathtub," Sophia confessed dreamily whilst she and Carl pulled along a child's wagon piled with pilfered goods.

"One big enough to swim in," the youngest Grimes added with a bright grin flashing from beneath his ever present hat.

"Y'all want baths so bad, go jump in the lake," the redneck fired back before mussing the girl's hair, "I might be able to catch a turtle or two if we used your toes as bait, then we could have us some turtle soup."

"Thank the gods you ain't got those damn peppers to put in it this time," his wife frowned in distaste. She obviously did not share her husband's enthusiasm for the dish, "I told you when you were makin' the shit that you put in too many, but you sure as hell didn't listen to me. Paid dearly for it too, if I remember correctly."

"Tore my ass up for a fuckin' week," he groaned and ran a hand over his stomach, "Merle did the same thing that fall, then got pissed when I laughed my ass off while he kept runnin' off to use the shitter every ten minutes."

"Yeah well I've gotta news flash for you Dixon," Meadow cackled as she nudged him with her elbow, "Your brother is a fuckin' idiot."

The others were deathly quiet, holding in their laughter, until the redneck burst out laughing and nodded his agreement, "His is one dumb son of a bitch, ain't he? And I'm gonna kick his ass if I ever find him again. And you're gonna help me darlin', cuz you got as much of a right to fuck up his day as I do."

"I'll be the first in line," she promised, since she still had her own score with the prick, and pointed toward her knife, "I'll even bring him a gift. And maybe a wire brush to use on his balls."

"Just remember not to use it on me afterwords," Daryl cringed and offered her a rolled smoke as a peace offering.

The conversation drifted another direction when the kids asked what everyone missed most from the "old" days.

"My cellphone," Maggie was the first to answer with a wistful smile, "I lived in the middle of nowhere and my phone was my only way to reach my friends when I was home from college."

"Central air," Glen sheepishly declared from her left, "I can't stand being too hot or too cold when I'm trying to sleep."

"I miss television," Carl went next, grinning from ear to ear as he plodded along, "Me and my dad would stay up late every Friday night watching all kinds of movies, just the two of us. He always got off work early enough to pick me up from school then we would go to the store and buy a ton of junk food as we argued about what we were going to watch that night. When we got home, both of us put on our pajamas and took over the living room while mom stayed upstairs to have some quiet time. She would take a real long bubble bath while she read and drank her wine, but she never came downstairs with us cuz some of the movies we watched majorly creeped her out."

"I miss going to school," Sophia flushed pink at the confession when Carl blinked at her owlishly, "I miss going to music and art class the most, because they were my favorite part of the day. I even miss Spanish class and I hated having to learn another language because it was so hard to remember things."

"I miss books the most," Meadow softly declared, green gaze on the path in front of her, "I've always loved to read and spent most of my free time doing so. I would even sit and read during my breaks at work. People thought I was completely bonkers because I'd rather have my head stuck in some novel rather than socialize with humans. And now there will never be another book written and published for the world to enjoy. It is so sad that, from here on out, the only books I will ever read will have been written already, before the end of the world happened. No new ideas, fantasies, or journeys to draw you into them, let your imagination run rampant..."

"The internet," Daryl blurted, startling everyone but his wife when he spoke, then refused to give an explanation like the others had.

The game started anew a few minutes later, everyone keeping the tone lighter this time around by giving the most ridiculous answers they could conjure up, only finally ending with Maggie's victory upon her wish for a Slinkie just so she could push someone down the stairs and not feel guilty about it.

*line break*

"Gettin' tired of this shit real fast today," Meadow snarled after they had finished clearing out a house to bunk in for the night, "Fed up with havin' to sleep in these fuckin' shit holes. I swear I'm gonna just blow my fuckin' brai-"

"Dinner's up darlin'," her husband announced and she suddenly had a face full of feathers.

"Fucker," she grumbled and pulled away the dead bird only to learn she was holding an owl, "I ain't pluckin' this shit Dixon, there ain't enough meat on this thing to feed one of the fuckin' cats, let alone a person."

"Quit your bitchin' Dixon," he chuckled over his shoulder and moved out onto the porch while the rest of the group filed in.

She trailed out after him, then proceeded to steal the cheroot he had just lit, "I'm gonna check 'round back, see if anythin' useful is in the shed or garage."

"Alright," he gave her a chaste kiss then kept an eye on her until the stocky woman faded from view before resuming his vigil.

As the redhead entered the back yard, Amber trotted into her purview, eager to help one of her humans should either structure be hiding unwanted guests. Meadow drew her machete from her belt and knocked the pommel against the door twice in rapid succession, then listened for any kind of response, living or otherwise. When she heard none, she slowly turned the knob and eased the door open an inch at a time. Several seconds ticked by before she was satisfied with the ongoing quiet, then carefully entered the structure whilst lighting her way with a small keychain flashlight. Another swift scan of the room found nothing but a few packs of batteries, a basic tool kit, and a half spent case of water.

Disappointed over finding so little of use, she was on her way back around the house when her canine partner froze and emitted a low warning growl, dark nose aimed at the woods which sat a few hundred yards from the rusting fence line.

"Shit," she broke into a run and was tossing her bounty into the RV when Daryl come over, "What's up?"

"Fuckin' herd comin' from over that way," she spat and gestured toward the trees, "Looks fuckin' massive. The dog smelled 'em before I saw them. They're almost here already."

Without another word, the hunter spun on his heel and bolted into the house as she whistled for the dogs and made sure none of the cats had escaped from the camper. Half a minute later everyone was pouring out of the house and loading up. She could feel her tears of frustration bubble over as Daryl navigated them into their place at the back of the line.

Shelter from a thunderstorm that night came in the form of a disturbingly decorated taxidermist's office.

*line break*

"Fuck you and fuck them and fuck that fuckin' place! I told you I ain't doin' it!" Meadow howled, her eyes wild in a way no one had ever seen since meeting the woman months earlier. No one was ever going to convince her that moving into a prison was a good idea, "I spent months locked in a fuckin' cage at a place like this while assholes tried to make me look like the next Lizzie Borden! I ain't ever goin' back voluntarily, I don't give a fuck how good of a place you think it is!"

"Meadow please try to see it from my point of view," Rick pleaded in his police negotiator voice, vainly reaching out as she flinched away from his touch, "Meadow this could be a safe place for Carl and all of the kids to grow up in, including the baby. We could clean it up, make it safe. Just give me a chance to prove it."

"If it isn't choking with biters or prisoners determined to keep what is theirs," Ronnie defended the irate redhead, which earned her a flat glare from the former lawman, "Don't you give me that look boy or I'll slap it off your face faster than you could spit. Whether you like or not, she does have a very good reason to worry about attempting to occupy this place."

"But she needs to-"

"I'm not sayin' it again Officer," Meadow growled and shouldered her bag, "I. Ain't. Livin'. In. No. Fucking. Cage. If you don't like my answer, you can kiss my pasty white ass. I'm done debatin' this with you and I'm done with this place.."

As she stomped away from the group, Daryl pushed off from the bike he had been leaning against, "Mea?"

"I don't agree with Officer Friendly's bullshit plan to get us all killed so suddenly I'm the bad guy again cuz, according to that flyin' fucktard over there, I'm refusin' to be a reasonable fuckin' adult!" she screamed loud enough for the entire troupe to hear quite clearly as she threw open the hatch of one SUV and began removing supplies from inside, "That fuckin' moron thinks tryin' to take over a motherfuckin' concrete death trap chock full of metal cages is a genius fuckin' plan? Well I ain't stickin' around for this stupid ass shit no more, cuz I'm tired of seein' people I love fuckin' die over stupid shit. I swear to the gods we'd have been better off making a go at shit on our own after the fuckin' farm. That stupid motherfuckin' shit for brains is gonna get what's left of my family killed, and for what?! How many more people gotta get-""

"You're scared, more scared than I've ever seen," he uttered softly, no judgment to be found in his tone as he caught her by the shoulder and tugged on her jacket until she swiveled around to face him, "Tell me why or what or who you're so fuckin' frightened of. I can't protect you from shit, can't have your back, if you don't tell me what's got you boltin' for the hills darlin'.""

"You mean besides the obvious fuckery where we either get eaten by fuckin' zombies or raped to death by inmates who probably haven't see a vagina that wasn't rotting in almost a year?" she fired off and swiped away the tears that had begun to fall, "Do you really wanna hear about how I was held down in the showers and raped by a half a dozen people almost every damn day for months while lawyers were tryin' to crucify me for defendin' myself against my psycho as fuck father? Or how about gettin' the shit beat out of me by a couple of the guards then tossed into solitary cuz I wouldn't let them fuck me whenever they wanted a piece of underage ass? I was a seventeen fuckin' year old kid who was injured and scared out of my fuckin' mind because I was bein' tried for murder Daryl, so how in the hell was I supposed to be able to walk away from all that without my head bein' fucked up about what a prison is like?"

Shocked into complete stillness, the hunter didn't even react when she pulled out of his grip and resumed her frantic packing.

"I didn't fuckin' think so."

"Meadow!," Maggie called out a minute later but skid to a halt a few feet away when the other woman's dead eyed stare landed on her, "What are-"

"Don't even start your shit girl. I still almost like you, so don't go ruinin' things right before I go on my merry way," she warned before slamming the hatch closed and blowing out an ear piercing whistle, "Jayden! Isabelle! Get your shit and your cats loaded into the Subaru, we're leavin right fuckin' now! Lee! You and Beth are welcome to come along too but you're gonna need your own wheels cuz I'm outta room! Same goes for anyone who still has a functionin' brain!"

Another whistle echoed through the open space as she walked toward the car and the dogs immediately jumped to their feet and proceeded to trot over whilst she loaded the back of the green Outback.

"Dammit! Meadow wait! Please!" Rick panted as he ran up to her. A gasp escaped him and he abruptly extended his hands into the air when she leveled a pistol at his chest.

"I'm not gonna allow what's left of my family die because you are blinded by desperate stupidity," her dead tone propelled her husband to her side, but she ignored his arrival for the moment, "And I sure as hell ain't gonna let myself be trapped in another fuckin' cage Officer, so back the fuck off before I forget that we're on friendly terms."

"You say that we're all going to get ourselves killed if we try to stay and make something of this place, right?" the former lawman carefully countered, lowering his arms slightly to adopt a supplicating pose, "Then show us what is wrong with the plan and help us fix them before something bad happens. Help us see the dangers from your point of view, so we can understand why-""

"If we stay, we get the RV," Daryl suddenly interjected, stepping in front of his wife's raised weapon as he spoke, "We get to live in it with the kids and nobody fucks with it without our permission. It's ours alone from here on out, even if Mea decides we still need to leave after helpin' y'all."

"Deal," the other man responded without missing a beat, "Just help us clear out the yards and just enough of the inside so we can safely set up a camp and I swear to god no one will ever ask you to go back inside again, if that's what you want. Please Meadow, I just want everyone to be as safe as I can make possible. Just like you do. But I need your help because I have no idea what I'm doing and stuff always turns out better when we're tackling the issue together."

Several agonizingly slow minutes passed as she weighed his words. Her green gaze darted across the space, touching upon every soul standing and waiting for her reply. Could she simply walk away now? Had she truly become such a cold person, to ignore the pleas of a desperate father searching for a safe place to raise his son? What would Matt, Jett, or Dawn say about it? Would they have stayed to help, even though it was a really fucking terrible idea? Of course they would have. They helped her, after all. And Dawn would have kicked her ass for not doing everything she could to help another good soul in need.

"Fuck me runnin', I'm such a goddamn idiot," the redhead blew out a hard breath, forced down the knots strangling her guts, and lit a stale cigarette before she looked toward her redneck, then to the former lawman, "If we're doin' this, we're not goin' in with some half assed agenda. You're a good man Rick, but you're absoute shit at plannin' any fuckin' thing."

He just smiled in relief.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I have started cross posting this on A03. I'm contemplating reposting all of my work there. You can find me under Raven_Jadewolfe if you'd like. Please be warned that this story is the only one I currently have posted over there.

Oh, and just a reminder that this humble hobbit self betas but I try to correct errors as soon as they are found.

11

"We gotta clog up that big fuckin' hole in the back or we're settin' ourselves up to be dinner," Meadow explained, still covered in dirt and gore from spending the day clearing the inner and outer yards of undead, "But before we do that, we can use it to lure out as many biters as we can."

"How are you expecting us to kill them after we get them out?" Angelina quietly asked as she wiped her face and neck with a wet rag.

"We find anything with some length, sharpen one end, and stab them through the fence," the stocky woman replied after taking a drink of water, "Our biggest problem is gonna be controllin' the flow of 'em once we get 'em movin'."

"What if we took some of the felled trees and maybe some of the fencing and built a chute?" Ronnie offered after a moment, "Kind of like the ones ranchers use for cattle. Then, when we're done with them, we can use them to barricade as much of the hole as possible."

"Once we cordon it off, then we can put down a few traps in case any living decide to give it a go," Lee added with a grim smile then looked to the redhead, "One question: How are we going to draw them out?"

*line break*

"I'm not sure I like this plan anymore," Lee muttered from the passenger seat as he buckled his seat belt, "It's starting to seem like a pretty fucking dumb idea."

"It's not any more idiotic than tryin' to take over a prison full of gods know what," Meadow replied as she slid a cd into the Subaru's stereo, "Hang on to your ass, this is gonna get bumpy."

Before he could answer, she slammed down on the gas pedal and the machine shot forward, heavy metal music blaring from the windows and open back hatch. Walkers immediately turned to follow the promise of fresh meat, the first droves trudging straight into the path set for them. The redhead carefully maneuvered through the channel in order to give the executioners enough time to reach the next choke point before moving on down the winding path.

Back and forth they drove all day, luring out the undead cannibals until their numbers slowed to a trickle. By the time evening rolled around, they were able to park the car and join their comrades who were either taking out stragglers or dragging bodies over the hill to be burned.

That night they made camp in the outermost yard, each of them exhausted but triumphant. Whilst they ate, Hershel rambled on about crop placements and collecting some livestock everyone had seen roaming the surrounding area.

Everyone still gave the stocky woman a wide berth, her shouted confessions from several days previous still resounding in their heads in spite of her willingness to help now. After all, how does one respond to such traumatic events? Meadow herself sat on the overturned bus still decaying in the yard, her husband keeping watch at her side. The only one brave enough to approach them, outside of the children, had been Carol who was kind enough to bring each of them a plate of green beans and ramen when dinner had been served.

As their companions found their beds and extinguished the cooking fire, Daryl wrapped an arm around his stoic spouse, "We did good today darlin'."

"Tomorrow will be worse," she responded flatly as she attempted to ignore the massive building looming over them and failed miserably, "People are going to die, all for a fuckin' pipe dream. Might be you, might be me. I guess we'll see."

"You still think we're doin' the wrong thing," he prompted when she made no indication that she was going to speak further.

"I think this place is going to kill us all," the knots in her stomach agreed.

*line break*

As the bloodied group crashed into the cell block hoisting a limp Hershel, sans half a leg, without the aid of T-Dog, Angelina, or Carol, Rick wouldn't meet Meadow's knowing eyes. They sped by, yelling about surviving inmates and making sure the doors were locked before convicts could follow.

She slammed the metal door tight just as a group of inmates appeared on the other side, yelling and demanding entrance. The first man slammed into the bars, a slimy grin on his features, "Yo what the fuck happened to your face chica? You look like you got into a fight with a lawnmower and lost."

"It was a chainsaw actually," she corrected with a razor sharp smile, "If you think this is bad, you should have seen the other guy when I got done with him. If you'd like, I can give you a personal demonstration."

He opened his mouth to say more, but abruptly changed his mind when a loaded crossbow appeared in her peripheral.

"What did you say about her?" Daryl sneered, already looking for a reason to put the asshole down permanently.

"I asked who fucked up her face," the other man cackled, clearly unaware of the danger he had put himself in, "You do that to her homie? Because if the attitude she's giving me right now is anything to go by, you might want to give the little put-"

There was a sharp twang then the man hit the floor, a bolt protruding from his left eye. His fellow prisoners jumped back from the twitching corpse and nervously looked from their fallen leader toward the scowling redneck.

"Any more of you assholes have somethin' to say about my wife?" he growled as he calmly reloaded his weapon then aimed it in their direction. When none of them deigned to speak, he rested his crossbow on his shoulder and shifted to look at his spouse, "T-Dog, Angelina, and Carol got separated from us, so I'm gonna go hunt for 'em while there's still daylight. Hershel was bit, but we cut his leg off. He might not make it, so-"

"I'll keep an eye out Dixon," she swallowed her panic and held a hand up to his cheek, "I'll put the kids up in the guard tower outside, just in case this shit gets out of hand. Take Lee with you, I don't want you goin' back down there alone. And if you ain't back by dark, I'm comin' after you. So be warned, if I have to come after you, imma beat your ass when I find you."

"Pfft whatever woman," he smirked and gave her a swift kiss before trotting away, calling for Lee as he went.

She sent the kids, and the dogs, to the tower then checked on Hershel, Rick, and Katrice before undertaking the task of making dinner for their rag tag bunch.

"Hey lady," one of the prisoners called out when she returned from yet another trip out to the RV for more edible items, "Whatever you're cooking smells awfully good. You sharing?"

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head in disbelief, "Don't even try to bullshit me by tellin' me you ain't got food cuz not a single one of y'all look like you've missed too many meals lately. If you'd had anythin' worth my time to offer in return, I might have been more inclined. Since that obviously ain't the case, you need to shut your yap before I make you as pretty as me."

No one replied whilst she stirred the pots on the camp stoves but she could hear them shuffling around. After a peek in their direction, she noticed one had wandered away from the metal barricade but instead of acknowledging the change in numbers, she walked under the walkway of the second level, "The food's almost done. I'm gonna need bowls and utensils for whoever's eatin' and I need a volunteer to fetch the kids from the guard tower."

Glen pulled Rhonda after him, each needing the distraction, while Katrice bullied the others lingering about Hershel's cell into coming down. Meadow traded places with the kids, opting to maintain the watch, while the others dined and debated the old coot's fate. As she watched the sun sink below the horizon, the oily tendrils of dread in her guts resumed their assault.

Sometimes she hated being right.

*line break*

Daryl emerged from the depths of the prison near daybreak, a pale and shaking Carol clinging to him. She tried to inquire about Angelina or T-Dog, but he was grimly silent until Carol was safely ensconced in a cell.

"Angelina was bit while tryin' to save T from walkers," he finally acquiesced after returning from a swift talk with Rick, "She pushed Carol into a cell and barricaded the door so she couldn't get out. Lee and Rick are goin' down to take care of things. How's the old man doin'?"

"Kat says he's stable, for now," she informed him while handing off a rolled smoke, "We can't cauterize the wound until he comes outta shock though or it will kill him for sure."

He nodded his understanding then gestured toward the tower, "Was you up there all night?"

"Except when I did my rounds, checkin' on people," she confirmed, ignoring the frown he gave her, "Rick wouldn't give up his guard on Hershel and everyone else was too scatterbrained to be much help."

"You get somethin' to eat at least?"

She shook her head, "I made dinner for everyone but had too much shit to get done besides stuff my face. Wasn't hungry anyways. Why babe? Offerin' to take me out to breakfast?"

In lieu of a proper reply, he prodded her outside and into the RV then ordered to get cleaned up while he made each of them a bowl of instant oatmeal.

It was his turn to wash, after their meal, and she tidied up while waiting. It was hard to resist the urge to ask if he and Rick had discussed their newfound house guests yet.

"Hair's gettin' long," he commented when he emerged, running a ragged towel over said shaggy locks.

"Do you want me to cut it?" she asked as she stowed their freshly washed cookware, "I always liked you with longer hair, but it's up to you."

"Nah, it'll keep my neck from freezin'," he decided, snagging an arm around her waist and pulling her close, "You smell good, kinda like candy. What is it?"

"Toasted vanilla sugar. The one you said didn't smell like a whorehouse in a bottle," she smiled and pressed a kiss to one of the many scars marring his pectorals, "I wanted to smell like something besides rotting meat and sweat for little while."

"I'm gonna have to check and see if you smell that good all over darlin'," he huskily smirked, leaning closer.

"I might have missed a spot or two," she giggled as he nuzzled her neck, "Gonna have to check thoroughly-"

He suddenly stepped back and pulled her toward the rear of the camper, where their yet to be christened bed awaited. Her shirt vanished as he led her along, fabric replaced by lips and hands and-

***knock-knock-knock***

"This had better be really fuckin' good or I'm shootin' somebody," the redneck growled after spinning them around to shield his spouse from any unwanted eyes. He blew out a sigh laced with irritation then spoke louder, "The fuck y'all want?"

"Rick needs to speak to you and Meadow right now," Maggie answered from the window over the kitchenette's sink, "He said it had to do with some kind of deal Meadow proposed to the prisoners yesterday."

He peered down at the redhead, who swiftly rehashed the conversation, then dropped his head on her shoulder for a long minute before turning back toward the elder Greene girl, "She just finished gettin' washed up. Tell him we'll be up in a few minutes."

"Okay," the other woman conceded and they could hear her footsteps fade.

"I honestly didn't think they would go for it," Meadow admitted as she began tugging on her least dirty set of garments, "I just wanted them to shut the fuck up and leave me alone."

"We'll deal with it," he pulled on his boots and shrugged on his jacket, "Let's go see what kinda trouble you've gotten us in to this time."

"You make it sound like I'm the only one of us who has ever done somethin' utterly stupid," she sheathed her machete and passed over his crossbow, "You seem to forget that you are one of my choices."

"That just proves my point," he gave her a soft kiss before stepping outside.

The couple trudged back to the cell block where the rest of the misfits were mingling. They found Rick waiting, head down, hands on hips, and an apologetic smile on his face, "Sorry about disturbin' you like this, especially after the night we all had, but they only want to talk to you about this deal. That said, could you explain to me what they're talking about?"

She recounted the tale yet again, not failing to notice how the former lawman started to perk up. His eyes were full of hope when he asked, "You're convinced they still have some food stashed away?"

"Rick, they have been locked in the cafeteria for months, and there are less than a dozen of them," she shrugged and accepted a rolled cigarette from her hunter, "I'm not sayin' it's gonna be a free for all smorgasbord or anythin', but almost anything we can get is better than what we're tryin' to live off now. Unless you truly enjoy eatin' nothin' but ramen, canned veggies, and crackers. "

"Alright you've convinced me," he made a face then smiled, "Now let's see if you can convince them too."

*line break*

"This is amazing!" Beth crowed over her bowl of food, evoking a round of laughter from everyone gathered.

"Calm down little Blondie," Meadow chuckled from her spot in the shadow of the RV, "It's just some red beans, wild rice, and chunks of rabbit with some gravy smotherin' it. Not like Alton Brown cooked it or anythin'."

"Don't care," she quipped after taking another bite, "This is the best-sorry Daddy-fucking thing I've ever tasted in my life."

Rather than reprimand his youngest child, the battered but unbroken man merely chuckled and raised his glass of water, "To Meadow Dixon, for brokering the deal which made this bounty possible."

"To Meadow," the rest chorused before starting a jovial argument over what counted as a second helping.

*line break*

"This is the last stuff from the yellow house, Glan declared as he tossed several bags into the back of the truck, "Maggie also found a bunch of towels, sheets, and things like that."

"Good, maybe we will be able to use them to create some privacy curtains to separate the cells," the older man grinned, making the former pizza delivery driver blush furiously, "I would really rather not have to have the birds and the bees talk with Carl just yet, if I can help it."

"Glen, go help Maggie before your head explodes," the stocky woman interjected before dumping a box on to the growing pile of loot. The younger man threw her a grateful smile, which she returned before she swiveled around to face the Grimes patriarch, "What's got you in such a good mood today Officer?"

"Earlier I caught myself thinking," he paused to drape his arms over the truck's bedrail, "I was thinking that I couldn't wait to get home. Then it hit me that it's been a damn long time since any of us could say something like that."

"I understand," she carefully kept her tone neutral just as Daryl came into view, a black bag slung over each shoulder, "Find anythin' good babe?"

"Little bit of medicine, more canned food, and some baby stuff," he handed the bags over to Rick for inspection, "Also saw somethin' we might wanna make a trip back for. It's one of those water buffaloes like we had back at the plantation."

"Good find," Rick patted the other man's shoulder though his gaze drifted over when Lee trotted around the corner.

"Hey guys, you're going to want to see this!"

*line break*

"Ain't no way we're stupid enough to leave this son of a bitch behind," Daryl grunted after the returning group had been severely scolded for returning hours after their appointed time, "The fuckin' tanker is almost full and the fuel is still good. That means we don't have to worry so much about collectin' gas when we're out shoppin', so get your head outta your ass and shut your yap."

"Well I never," Lori huffed and crossed her arms before stomping away.

"She's still pissed cuz Rick won't move into her cell," Meadow softly revealed, coming to stand beside her husband, "She was flappin' her gums to Carol and Kat about it before we left this mornin'. Guess she's still blockin' what went down and the B and B, when Rick told her they were through."

Her hands clenched at the memory of seeing Lori standing amidst the ruined garden, the thin woman's guilt ridden expression highlighted by the roaring flames she had caused.

"Divorce, apocalypse style," Daryl's chuckle drew her out of the vision as he wound an arm around her and pointed with his free hand, "It looks like they're already puttin' those rolls of plastic to good use."

Meadow tilted her head back to find the upper windows were now covered by a thick white film and had to agree with him, "It's gonna be colder for longer this year, so every little thing we can do will help. Speakin' of, has everyone decided if we're gonna go after those wood burners?"

"The old man is afraid the smoke is gonna draw unwanted attention," the redneck revealed, "But I think he's gonna end up agreein' mainly so nobody freezes to death then have all of us wake up to a walker havin' a snack."

"It's gonna freeze again before the warm weather sticks around for good," she warned, hiding her face in his shoulder as a chill wind swept across the space,"I hate cold rain."

"Gonna have to put Merle's bike back under the tarp," he agreed morosely, eyes flitting up to the dark clouds moving overhead, "We're still gonna have to find another truck to take on these runs cuz your car is shit for haulin' both people and loot. It's more like either or, but never both. I don't know how you manage to pack anythin' into it, it's so fuckin' tiny. Reminds me of one of those little cars you used to see in parades all the time, with those guys in the fucked up hats. I-"

"Hey, no bashin' my Roo," she scowled and gave him a half-hearted swat on the chest, "That damn thing has survived everythin' I've thrown at it, which is more than I can say about the last two trucks you had."

"Alright, alright, stop it!" he captured her hand before she could land another strike and kissed her ring, "Damn woman, abusin' me all the fuckin' time. Oughta report you for spousal abuse."

"Officer Friendly is right over there," she snickered and gestured to where the former lawman was chatting with Kat and Carol, "Go on then, I wanna see what he says about it."

"Fuck that, he'll probably just tell you to smack me around a couple times for him," he groused before giving her a kiss.


End file.
